Snow by Louis MacNeice
Event Details
The room was suddenly rich and the great bay-window was
Spawning snow and pink roses against it
Irish poet, playwright and producer for the BBC, Frederick Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) was widely read and admired during his lifetime. Considered a modernist poet, his work explores themes of consciousness and belonging, reflecting with humanity and nuance the advances and turbulence of the 20th Century. Describing the role of the poet he wrote:
‘Good poets have written in order to describe something or to preach something – with their eye on the object or the end. The essence of the poetry does not lie in the thing described or in the message imparted but in the resulting concrete unity, the poem.‘
Written in 1935 when MacNeice was living in Birmingham, Snow has become one of his best-loved poems. Dream-like and evocative, it explores the sensations of different experiences occurring simultaneously.
Through reading aloud, close analysis and discussion of the poet, his time and the context of this poem, we’ll come to a greater understanding of Snow, as well as experiencing the pleasure of hearing it in a shared and supportive space.
JOINING DETAILS:
- Single meeting study led by Caroline Hammond
- Wednesday 4 February, 6.00–8.00pm GMT
- Snow is available to read on The Poetry Foundation website
- £35 to include background materials and opening notes
