20th-century English poets
The term Metaphysical poets was coined by the critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of 17th-century English poets whose work was characterised by the inventive use of conceits, and by a greater emphasis on the spoken rather than lyrical quality of their verse. These poets were not formally affiliated and few were highly regarded until 20th century attention established their importance.
6 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
Auden
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss WH Auden's life and poetry from Europe before WWII, reflecting on his travels to Spain, China and Germany and the rise of totalitarianism.
19 December 2019
Featuring: Mark Ford, Janet Montefiore, Jeremy Noel-Tod
CultureEnglish literary criticsAmerican literary critics, American male dramatists and playwrightsEnglish emigrants to the United StatesAmerican male essayists, American male poets20th-century English non-fiction writersAmerican lecturersMembers of the American Academy of Arts and LettersOxford Professors of Poetry20th-century English male writersAmerican male non-fiction writersBritish male essayistsEnglish essayistsAlumni of Christ Church, OxfordFormalist poetsEnglish male dramatists and playwrightsEnglish male poetsEnglish LGBTQ poets20th-century American essayistsGay dramatists and playwrights, Gay poets20th-century American male writersAnglican poetsModernist theatreLGBTQ AnglicansAmerican LGBTQ poetsGay academicsNaturalized citizens of the United States20th-century English poetsEnglish male non-fiction writers20th centuryRobert Graves
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and works of the author of I, Claudius, especially his love and war poems and his ideas on the source of all creativity.
10 October 2024
Featuring: Paul O'Prey, Fran Brearton, Bob Davis
CultureBisexual poetsEnglish literary criticsEnglish male novelists20th-century English non-fiction writersEnglish World War I poetsBisexual novelists20th-century English memoiristsOxford Professors of Poetry20th-century English male writersPeople with post-traumatic stress disorderBisexual memoirists20th-century atheistsEnglish male poetsEnglish people of Irish descentEnglish LGBTQ poetsEnglish short story writersJames Tait Black Memorial Prize recipientsEnglish bisexual men, English bisexual writers, Royal Welch Fusiliers officersEnglish male short story writersEnglish writers with disabilitiesEnglish atheists20th-century translatorsBisexual male writers20th-century English novelistsEnglish historical novelistsPrix Italia winnersBritish Army personnel of World War I20th-century English poetsPeople educated at Charterhouse SchoolEnglish male non-fiction writers20th-century English LGBTQ people20th centuryRudyard Kipling
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of Rudyard Kipling, a writer sometimes described as the poet of empire.
16 October 2014
Featuring: Howard Booth, Daniel Karlin, Jan Montefiore
CultureFellows of the Royal Society of LiteraturePeople of the Victorian eraEnglish male novelistsDeaths from ulcersMythopoeic writersEnglish science fiction writersFreemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England20th-century English memoirists20th-century English male writersEnglish hymnwriters19th-century English poets19th-century English novelistsEnglish anti-fascistsVictorian novelistsMaritime writersEnglish-language poets from IndiaEnglish male short story writers19th-century English short story writersEnglish Nobel laureatesNobel laureates in LiteratureRectors of the University of St AndrewsEnglish children's writers19th-century English non-fiction writersBritish Nobel laureates20th-century English novelistsEnglish people of Scottish descent20th-century English poetsBurials at Westminster Abbey19th century20th centuryLanguageSiegfried Sassoon
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the war poet Siegfried Sassoon; a homosexual war hero who became a bitter opponent of the First World War and a devout Catholic.
7 June 2007
Featuring: Jean Moorcroft Wilson, Fran Brearton, Max Egremont
Bisexual poetsRecipients of the Military CrossEnglish Catholic poetsEnglish World War I poets20th-century English memoirists20th-century English male writersPeople with post-traumatic stress disorderEnglish LGBTQ poetsJames Tait Black Memorial Prize recipientsEnglish bisexual men, English bisexual writers, Royal Welch Fusiliers officersEnglish Roman CatholicsPeople educated at Marlborough CollegeWar writersRoman Catholic writersBisexual military personnelDeaths from stomach cancer in EnglandBisexual male writers20th-century English novelistsBritish Army personnel of World War I20th-century English poetsLGBTQ Roman Catholics20th-century English LGBTQ people20th centuryWarStevie Smith
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the writer best known for her poem Not Waving But Drowning, whose success has arguably overshadowed her wider work as a poet and novelist.
16 February 2023
Featuring: Jeremy Noel-Tod, Noreen Masud, Will May
Wilfred Owen
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of Britain's greatest war poets, who published only 5 poems in his short life yet whose works became seen as a warning of the futility of wars.
27 October 2022
Featuring: Jane Potter, Fran Brearton, Guy Cuthbertson
CultureEnglish people of Welsh descentRecipients of the Military CrossPeople with post-traumatic stress disorderArtists' Rifles soldiersBritish Army personnel of World War I20th-century English poetsEnglish World War I poetsLost Generation writersEnglish male poetsEnglish LGBTQ poetsWar writersEnglish writers with disabilities20th-century English LGBTQ people20th-century English male writers20th century