大象传媒

Death has been an inspiration to poets, authors, artists and composers throughout the centuries. The multi award winning poet, Professor Michael Symmons Roberts, devotes his debut presenting Something Understood to an intense reflection on the subject, its mystery and inevitability.

Roberts has himself used death in his own work, notably in his poem Corpse which is featured in the programme alongside the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Wallace Stevens. But it鈥檚 the life and poetry of John Donne, which Roberts cites as his main inspiration. Donne, Roberts explains, courted death as a young man and witnessed plenty of it.

Another life-long influence on Roberts is the music of David Bowie who died earlier this year. 鈥淢ortality, the need to seize the fleeting life we have, was always there in his work,鈥� Roberts says as he reflects on the elegiac Heroes and tells the story of Bowie鈥檚 final album, Blackstar and the song Lazarus. 鈥淢any fans interpreted it as a message from beyond the border, from a man who had crossed it.鈥�

Other music includes Vera Hall singing Death is Awful, Mozart鈥檚 Requiem and John Donne鈥檚 poem Death Be Not Proud set to music by John Tavener.

Presenter: Michael Symmons Roberts
Producer: Michael Wakelin
A TBI Media production for 大象传媒 Radio 4