Fire Songs is a collection of poetry written by David Harsent that uses multiple themes to display a greater meaning. It was published in 2014, and it won the T.S. Eliot Prize that year.[1] It is the 11th collection of poems that Harsent has published.
Fire Songs, according to Fiona Sampson, a British poet and a judge for the 2015 T.S. Eliot Prize, teems with images and ideas that manage to be both richly detailed and vividly musical. The entire book reads as a triumphantly sustained sequence and is layered with leitmotifs. It is denser and more composed than its prize-winning predecessors Legion (2005) and Night (2010). The four "Fire" sequences all have a common theme, destruction. Martyrdom, war, the loss of love and environmental apocalypse end each sequence to repeat the threat "it will be fire". Other recurring themes are rats, tinnitus, war, and environmental damage.[2] Harsent, who suffers from tinnitus, said he "wrote them [the poems] in a fever".[3]
Structure
Fire: a song for Mistress Askew
The Fool Alone
Bowland Beth
Sang The Rat
Tinnitus: August, sun beating the rooftops
A Dream Book
Leechdoms and Starcrafts
The Fool at Court
Fire: love songs and descants
Effacted
Tinnitus: May, low skies and thunder
Rat Again
Armistice
Fire: end-scenes and outtakes
Trickster Christ
Dive
Songs from the Same Earth
Tinnitus: January, thin rain becoming ice
Fire: a party at the world's end
Icefield
M.A.D. 1971 (Rat-run)
Pain
Content
"Fire: a song for Mistress Askew" is set in London, England, and follows Anne Askew, an English writer and Protestant Martyr who was condemned for being a heretic during the dynasty of Henry VIII, and became the only woman in English history to be tortured in the Tower of London and burnt at the stake.[4] Harsent describes the execution of Askew because "She was an example of the destructiveness of fire".[5] "Fire: love songs and descants", according to Guardian reviewer Adam Newey, has a "hellish for-its-own-sake purity, which is nonetheless impressive and mesmerizing", and like the Askew group includes a bonfire to introduce the poem's subject matter. In this poem, the speaker is burning works of arts and literature, and burning of the written word is a recurrent motif.[6] It reveals the theme the loss of love as the speaker no longer loves literature. In an interview with Prospect magazine, Harsent commented on the bonfire motif in Fire Songs: "I had this image in my head of a man going into his garden and making a bonfire on which he planned to burn everything".[5]
The poem "Tinnitus" addresses Harsent's musical career; Harsent frequently collaborates with British composer Harrison Birtwistle, and Harsent dedicated the volume to him. The poem "Armistice" consists of one single sentence, without punctuation, organized in couplets all of which rhyme on the sound of the letter "d". Newey called this a "virtuosic piece" that "disdains simplistic notions about peace and war and has the humility to acknowledge the limits of art".[6]
Reception
Adam Newey, in The Guardian, said the collection "makes rich use of symbol, especially biblical symbol, and reads somewhat like a modern-day Book of Revelation – there’s definitely something of the entranced, ecstatic visionary in some of the bravura pieces here". He added that it "delivers a stream of feverish, oneiric visions, of apocalypse brought about through war or environmental catastrophe or the boundless human capacity for self‑deception and bedevilment".[6] According to Helen Dunmore, a British poet and the chair of judges that awarded David Harsent the T.S. Eliot Prize, "Fire Songs plumbs language and emotion with technical brilliance and prophetic power".[7]
References
^Foundation, Poetry (21 June 2019). "David Harsent". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
^"Fire Songs by David Harsent, book review: Author finds an early late flowering". The Independent.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Kellaway, Kate (18 January 2015). "David Harsent: 'If I can't hear the music, I don't think it is a poem'". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
^Askew, Anne (1996). The Examinations of Anne Askew. Oxford University Press. ISBN9780195108491.
^ abRahim, Sameer. "TS Eliot winner David Harsent: 'I wrote Fire Songs in a kind of fever'". Retrieved 21 June 2019.
^ abcNewey, Adam (2 January 2015). "Fire Songs review – David Harsent's apocalyptic collection". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
^"Poet Harsent wins TS Eliot Prize". 12 January 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
January 31, 2023
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Fire Songs is a collection of poetry written by David Harsent that uses multiple themes to display a greater meaning It was published in 2014 and it won the T S Eliot Prize that year 1 It is the 11th collection of poems that Harsent has published Fire SongsAuthorDavid HarsentLanguageEnglishSubjectPoetry gt Subjects amp Themes gt GeneralGenrePoetryPublisherFaber and FaberPublication date2014Pages66ISBN9780571316090 Contents 1 Overview 2 Structure 2 1 Fire a song for Mistress Askew 2 2 Fire love songs and descants 2 3 Fire end scenes and outtakes 2 4 Fire a party at the world s end 3 Content 4 Reception 5 ReferencesOverview EditFire Songs according to Fiona Sampson a British poet and a judge for the 2015 T S Eliot Prize teems with images and ideas that manage to be both richly detailed and vividly musical The entire book reads as a triumphantly sustained sequence and is layered with leitmotifs It is denser and more composed than its prize winning predecessors Legion 2005 and Night 2010 The four Fire sequences all have a common theme destruction Martyrdom war the loss of love and environmental apocalypse end each sequence to repeat the threat it will be fire Other recurring themes are rats tinnitus war and environmental damage 2 Harsent who suffers from tinnitus said he wrote them the poems in a fever 3 Structure EditFire a song for Mistress Askew Edit The Fool Alone Bowland Beth Sang The Rat Tinnitus August sun beating the rooftops A Dream Book Leechdoms and Starcrafts The Fool at CourtFire love songs and descants Edit Effacted Tinnitus May low skies and thunder Rat Again ArmisticeFire end scenes and outtakes Edit Trickster Christ Dive Songs from the Same Earth Tinnitus January thin rain becoming iceFire a party at the world s end Edit Icefield M A D 1971 Rat run PainContent Edit Fire a song for Mistress Askew is set in London England and follows Anne Askew an English writer and Protestant Martyr who was condemned for being a heretic during the dynasty of Henry VIII and became the only woman in English history to be tortured in the Tower of London and burnt at the stake 4 Harsent describes the execution of Askew because She was an example of the destructiveness of fire 5 Fire love songs and descants according to Guardian reviewer Adam Newey has a hellish for its own sake purity which is nonetheless impressive and mesmerizing and like the Askew group includes a bonfire to introduce the poem s subject matter In this poem the speaker is burning works of arts and literature and burning of the written word is a recurrent motif 6 It reveals the theme the loss of love as the speaker no longer loves literature In an interview with Prospect magazine Harsent commented on the bonfire motif in Fire Songs I had this image in my head of a man going into his garden and making a bonfire on which he planned to burn everything 5 The poem Tinnitus addresses Harsent s musical career Harsent frequently collaborates with British composer Harrison Birtwistle and Harsent dedicated the volume to him The poem Armistice consists of one single sentence without punctuation organized in couplets all of which rhyme on the sound of the letter d Newey called this a virtuosic piece that disdains simplistic notions about peace and war and has the humility to acknowledge the limits of art 6 Reception EditAdam Newey in The Guardian said the collection makes rich use of symbol especially biblical symbol and reads somewhat like a modern day Book of Revelation there s definitely something of the entranced ecstatic visionary in some of the bravura pieces here He added that it delivers a stream of feverish oneiric visions of apocalypse brought about through war or environmental catastrophe or the boundless human capacity for self deception and bedevilment 6 According to Helen Dunmore a British poet and the chair of judges that awarded David Harsent the T S Eliot Prize Fire Songs plumbs language and emotion with technical brilliance and prophetic power 7 References Edit Foundation Poetry 21 June 2019 David Harsent Poetry Foundation Retrieved 21 June 2019 Fire Songs by David Harsent book review Author finds an early late flowering The Independent a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint url status link Kellaway Kate 18 January 2015 David Harsent If I can t hear the music I don t think it is a poem The Guardian Retrieved 30 June 2019 Askew Anne 1996 The Examinations of Anne Askew Oxford University Press ISBN 9780195108491 a b Rahim Sameer TS Eliot winner David Harsent I wrote Fire Songs in a kind of fever Retrieved 21 June 2019 a b c Newey Adam 2 January 2015 Fire Songs review David Harsent s apocalyptic collection The Guardian Retrieved 26 June 2019 Poet Harsent wins TS Eliot Prize 12 January 2015 Retrieved 30 June 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fire Songs amp oldid 1083284328, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
