Josephine Hart, who died this past June, may be best known for novels like Damage and The Truth About Love, but she was also a strong supporter of poets and poetry, founding the Gallery Poets and, in 2004, establishing the Josephine Hart Poetry Hour at the British Library where actors would read the works of well-known poets. Readers who are interested in learning more about her involvement with poetry may want to check out her 2008 anthology Catching Life by the Throat: How to Read Poetry and Why: Poems from Eight Great Poets.
In Catching Life by the Throat, Hart includes selected poems from W.H. Auden, Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, Rudyard Kipling, Philip Larkin, Marianne Moore, Sylvia Plath, and W.B. Yeats. Hart wanted to set the poetry “in the context of the life of the poet,” and she introduces the work of each poet with two essays: a biographical sketch of the poet and a discussion of their poetry’s influences and themes. The book also includes a CD of a live recording of the British Library readings, featuring the actors Ralph Fiennes, Roger Moore and Elizabeth McGovern.
I thought Hart’s anthology was an accessible introduction to an interesting group of poets. Of the eight poets featured, I was least familiar with the work of Philip Larkin and Marianne Moore, and I enjoyed learning about their lives and poetry. While short, the essays provide a good background and context for understanding the poets and their work. The CD is a nice touch; the readings are strong and enhance the overall quality of the project.
Catching Life by the Throat is the type of anthology that could appeal to readers who are just learning about poetry as well as readers looking to rediscover favorite poets.
Search the WRL Catalog for Catching Life by the Throat
