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"In this slim volume you are once again in a world where Sunday was a day of rest and the Church of England was the centre of the community. These 22 poems are truly little gems and if you haven't met Betjeman before, this is a good introduction."East Riding News, February 2010
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This book represents a genuine and important discovery in the canon of Betjeman's poems, often considered closed with the publication of the "Complete Poems".Between 1953-57, John Betjeman read a series of poems on 'The Faith in the West' program airing on the BBC's West of England Home Service. This series, called 'Poems in the Porch,' was so popular that Betjeman received constant requests to publish the poems. Although he deprecatingly referred to the poems as mere 'verses', Betjeman at last capitulated to the public. The result was a slim volume of six poems, entitled "Poems in the Porch". What few people now realize is that Betjeman read at least 20 original poems on the radio in this series, perhaps even more, although owing to the haphazard records of both the BBC and Betjeman himself it is impossible to reconstruct with complete accuracy the history of this series.Kevin Gardner has been able to identify and collect 26 of these poems and has written a fascinating introductory essay recounting the story of Betjeman as a radio poet and discussing the artistry of these poems. Most have never been published and currently exist only in manuscript. We know for certain of 20 occasions when Betjeman read his poems on the 'Faith in the West' program, and of these we know 16 specific titles. Despite the gap between the BBC records on the one hand and the printed and manuscript texts on the other, Gardner has been able to construct a relatively reliable edition of Betjeman's "Poems in the Porch".This book will cause a radical reassessment of his canon and will create great waves in the Betjeman community.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A useful addition to the Betjeman canon,
This review is from: Poems in the Porch: The Radio Poems of John Betjeman (Hardcover)
Kevin Gardner is a noted Betjeman scholar and devotee, and in this slim volume he has lovingly attempted to reconstruct the suite of poems that John Betjeman wrote and recited on a BBC radio series between 1953 and 1957.
As the book's title implies, and particularly as the poems were written for the "Faith in the West" program that was broadcast on the Home Service, these are all poems that display Betjeman's characteristic affectionate loving wit and gentle satire that he directs at the Church of England. Some (but not all) of the poems will be familiar to the follower of Betjeman, although a couple have been painstakingly reconstructed by Gardner from recently rediscovered BBC transcripts and recordings. A delightful book therefore for either the Betjeman completist or the casual reader of this quintessential English poet
4.0 out of 5 stars
Poems iin the Porch,
This review is from: Poems in the Porch: The Radio Poems of John Betjeman (Paperback)
This delightful small book is a wonderful tonic for any who have to work with good,loyal but patienceexhausting churh groups
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Poems in the Porch;the Radio Poems of John Betjeman,
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This review is from: Poems in the Porch: The Radio Poems of John Betjeman (Hardcover)
I was delighted to be able to buy this book of poems, that John Betjeman thought was inconsequential musings but which take you back in history to the early days of radio and life in a different era.
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