This week on our poetry news round up we take a look at a poem by Agatha Christie and a book of poetry reimagined for a new audience.
Mystery Behind First Published Work by Agatha Christie Solved
Whilst Agatha Christie is well known for her mystery thrillers which made her famous, her first published work was in fact a poem. Written in 1905 when Christie was just 14 years old the poem “Steam v. Electricity” was a humorous work inspired by trains.
When Christie died at the age of 85 in 1976, she left several clues in her posthumous autobiography regarding the poem and its contents. However, there were several red herrings which have thrown fans of the author off the scent for many years. She claimed to have written the poem aged 11 rather than 14, and also that it was about trams rather than trains.
Now thanks to the tireless sleuthing of James Berthal-Hooker and his husband who have spent many years examining every clue and following up many leads the poem has been unearthed in a newspaper archive.
The poem was submitted in 1905 to two publications. Its contents concerns a local train failure. Christie was visiting London with her aunt when she penned it.
The poem begins:
The pair were delighted to have found the poem and elated to have possibly been the first people to have read it in the last 120 years.
Works of Wales’ Greatest Medieval Poet Reimagined in New Collection
An Aberystwyth academic has written a new book to help reintroduce the work of one of the most celebrated Welsh literary figures to a new generation – and this time, it is not Dylan Thomas. Titled “The Green Month” the book is a collection of short English-language poems written by Professor Matthew Francis and it offers a modern reimagining of the works of Dafydd ap Gwilym, a Ceredigion-born bard in the14th century.
ap Gwilym is considered to have transformed Welsh poetry, in particular mastery of cywydd – a musical, complex, form of verse that is unique to the Welsh language. His work was marked by sensuality, with and a deep understanding and admiration for the natural world. It is amongst the cornerstones of medieval literature from Europe.
Professor Francis has drawn inspiration from the original poems and their themes and presented them through a modern lens which retaining as much of the lyrical intensity as possible.
Having lived in Wales for 25 years, Professor Francis who is Emeritus Professor in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University, has long had an interest in Welsh poetry and myth. His previous works include a modern retelling of the Welsh national epic The Mabinogi. He has also published six poetry collections of his own work, edited the New Collected Poems of W.S. Graham and written short stories and three novels.
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