Literature
An evening of English Poetry
The British Council had an evening of English Poetry in memory of Rex
Baker, Representative from 1984 to 1990 on Tuesday, (January 12). 'Poets
and their Visions, a collection of essays by Prof Rajiva on English
poetry, published by Godage and Sons, was also launched on this
occasion.
The highlight of the evening was readings of the poetry in the
collection by Ranmali Mirchandani and Rohan Ponniah. Such readings had
been a common feature among British Council activities when Rex Baker
was representative, in the days before multiple television and radio
stations. The poems were arranged under four themes, 'Love', 'Love and
Death', 'Laughter and Tears' and 'Transitions'. Old favourites from
Shakespeare figured prominently in the programme, with Rohan and Ranmali
capturing vividly both the romance of Romeo and Juliet, and the tragic
fate of Othello and Desdemona. Shelley's Elegy on Keats contrasted with
Byron's mocking of a ruler aiming at immortality; Hardy's grief for his
dead wife provided a pendant to Housman's celebration of an athlete
dying young.
The audience relished the humour of Gibert's account of the British
House of Lords and Edward Lear's description of his aged Uncle Arly. But
there was also stress on nostalgia, including, in the introduction by
Prof Wijesinha, the opening of Eliot's 'Waste Land' with its evocation
of the lost world of pre First World War Europe; Auden's brooding lines
at the opening of the Second World War; then Kipling's celebration of
the lost Road through the Woods, and finally what I have often thought
of as the saddest poem in the language, Mathew Arnold's 'Dover Beach',
the world seen as a darkling plane, where ignorant armies clash by
night.'
British Council Director in welcoming the guests noted the fact that
both Prof Wijesinha and Ranmali Mirchandani had worked in the Arts for
the British Council in the past, and referred to the Council's tradition
of promoting English Literature. Prof Wijesinha spoke about Rex Baker
and his immense contribution, to Education and Science and Technology as
well as the written and the performing arts. The event was graced by the
presence of the publisher, Godage, and also the doyenne of English dons,
Prof Lakshmi de Silva of the University of Kelaniya, who had been
present at the original poetry readings arranged by the Council in the
eighties. |