Poetry with Simon Armitage The Parable of the Solicitor and the Poet
50 snips
Apr 8, 2016 
Simon Armitage, a distinguished professor of poetry at the University of Oxford, shares insights from his inaugural lecture. He delves into an unlikely friendship between a poet and a solicitor, sparking heartfelt exchanges about loss and creativity. The conversation navigates themes of melancholy in poetry, the evolving role of literary art in society, and contemporary reflections on race and identity. Armitage also critiques traditional poetic education while celebrating how modern movements make poetry more accessible and relevant today.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
The Solicitor's Poems
- A poet hires a solicitor for a car accident claim and realizes he's been recognized.
- The solicitor gives the poet two shoeboxes of his own poems to review.
Inexperienced Poets
- Cliché and sentimentality are common traits of inexperienced poets.
- This reminds the poet of poetry's democratic nature and its role as a refuge.
Poetry's Power
- Poetry's power lies in its compact form, storing and retransmitting force like batteries.
- The best poems increase in potential energy over time, defying Newton's principles.