Gillian Clarke

The Silence

Starts at: Tuesday 22 October 6:00 PM
Finishes at: Tuesday 22 October 7:00 PM

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The world was a noisy place before Covid. Then everything seemed to go quiet. But it was only the human world that was hushed: nature’s music, as Gillian Clarke illustrates so beautifully, continued: the wind in the trees, the songs of birds, the hiss of rain, the bark of a fox.

The former national poet of Wales was uplifted by the limitations of lockdown. Outside her window the blackbird sang all day long, a familiar sound expressed in familiar words. The description of nature’s ‘noise’ is all the more beautiful for being recognisable and unpretentious.

The silence which begins during lockdown at the start of the book, continues at a deeper level as the poet allows her memories to be heard. She looks back on her childhood, remembers her mother and the after-effects of the world wars and of course describes and honours the musicality of Welsh names, Welsh language, Welsh countryside.

Just listen.

For Gillian Clarke's official website click here.

Sponsored by Eleanor Decamp