Aristocrats, by Keith Douglas
Keith Douglas was the finest British poet of the Second World War. After fighting in the North African desert he took part in the invasion of Europe a...
EnglishReadings
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About
Microlectures and readings from English literature; by Michael Blackburn, writer, poet, retired lecturer. A traditional approach to the appreciation of literature. English Readings comprises two strands. The first is brief lectures/podcasts on specific texts or authors which may, I hope, prove of some interest to students and those with a love of English literature; the second is short readings of extracts from texts that may not be so well-known but which deserve a wider readership. These podcasts are also available on iTunes (also as EnglishReadings). If the literature and landscape of England is of interest to you please subscribe to this channel, and if you enjoyed some of these podcasts please consider making a donation.
An extract from The South Country by Edward Thomas, read by Michael Blackburn
A video from the summerhouse (instead of a podcast) - this brief extract is from The South Country by Edward Thomas (centenary edition of the volume i...
"Was it a dream?" - An amorous sonnet by Edmund Spenser (Amoretti LXXVII) read by Michael Blackburn.
Edmund Spenser (1552 - 1559) is one of the greatest poets of the English Renaissance, best known for his epic, The Faerie Queene. This recording is of...
The Erotic Nerve; from A Glastonbury Romance by John Cowper Powys
This paragraph is from Chapter12 "The Dolorous Blow", of A Glastonbury Romance, by John Cowper Powys. Image c/o Wikipedia. If you have enjoyed this po...
The Poet Holds His Future In His Hand, a poem by B S Johnson read by Michael Blackburn
B S Johnson (1933 - 1973) was a British experimental novelist, poet and film maker. This poem is take from his second collection, Poems Two, published...
The Spectator, the first article (1711), read by Michael Blackburn.
The first issue of The Spectator came out in 1711. Its opening article was by Joseph Addison. If you have enjoyed this podcast or others on my channel...
The Little Dancers by Binyon: a reading and microlecture
"The Little Dancers" is a short poem by Laurence Binyon (1869 - 1943) who is better known for his WW1 poem, "For the Fallen" and "The Burning of the L...
Scum of the Earth by Koestler: an extract read by Michael Blackburn
The short extract here comes from Arthur Koestler's memoir, Scum of the Earth, which recounts how he survived internment as a foreign national in Fran...
A brief intro to the poet, Brian Higgins.
This is a brief introduction to the poet, Brian Higgins (1930 - 1965). A recording of one of his poems is also available on this channel. Higgins’s fi...
The Necessity of Freedom of Speech - J S Mill, On Liberty (a brief extract)
Given the increasing opposition to the idea and practice of free speech in western society, and most disturbingly in the universities, it is salutary ...