an evening with ... Simon Armitage
Thursday 22nd April 2010
6.30 p.m.
Swedenborg Hall
£5.00/£3.00 concessions & members
Simon Armitage will read from his translation of the Middle Englishepic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight(Faber & Faber, 2007), proclaimed by Nicholas Lezard in the Guardian to be ‘the best translation of any poem I've ever seen'. Sir Gawain has featured in many ‘bestbook of the year' lists in both the UK and the US, encouraging Simon to make anaccompanying documentary for BBC television.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a fourteenth-century Arthurianromance. It tells of a mysterious Green Knight, who interrupts the New Year'sEve Festivities at Camelot by challenging someone to strike him a blow - withthe proviso that he will return it in a year and a day's time. This challengeis accepted by Gawain, the youngest knight at Arthur's court, who promptlychops off the Green Knight's head. The victim unexpectedly picks up his headand exits, leaving Gawain to search out the Green Chapel the following year inorder to confront his fate. Sir Gawain isa staple of Middle English courses, but Armitage's excellent verse translationhas delivered it from the classroom to the armchair.
Simon Armitage is one of the finest poets of his generation. The winnerof the Sunday Times Young Author ofthe Year Award in 1993, he has published ten volumes of poetry, including Zoom! (Bloodaxe Books, 1989), Kid (Faber & Faber, 1992), CloudCuckooLand (Faber and Faber, 1997),and Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus the CorduroyKid (Faber & Faber, 2006). He has written two novels, Little Green Man (Penguin, 2001) and The White Stuff (Viking, 2004). Simonhas also written for radio, television, film and theatre. He won an IvorNovello award in 2003 and is the lead singer in the band The Scaremongers.
Booking is highly recommended. Please contact nora@swedenborg.org.uk or on (020) 7405 7986.