Britain’s poet laureate Simon Armitage has long been interested in myth and legend. He’s published retellings of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Death of King Arthur, The Odyssey, and The Iliad, and he’s reached into the mists of medieval England to translate two famous poems, The Owl and the Nightingale and Pearl. What all of these works have in common is that they were originally created in poetry, the common language of myth.
A few years ago, before he became poet laureate, his work with The Iliad led to the creation of a play, The Last Days of Troy. It was first performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester before moving to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Other productions have followed.
It’s a gripping piece of theater. It’s a griping piece of writing in general. Armitage doesn’t “improve upon” Homer; it’s more that he illuminates the great Greek story for a contemporary audience.
To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.
Some Tuesday Readings
Another Day – poem by Jerry Barrett at Gerald the Writer.
Poetry Prompt: I’m in Charge of Celebrations – L.L. Barkat at Tweetspeak Poetry.
A forgotten writer of Pere Lachaise – Anthony Daniels at New Criterion on Enrique Gomez Carillo.
“March,” poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox – Joseph Bottum at Poems Ancient and Modern.
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