THEY MAY NEVER PASS THIS WAY AGAIN : The Poetic Struggles and Astronomical Discoveries of Jack SHARRATT
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New Selection of verse from five decades of writing by this 'Poet of the North', renowned for his contributions to BBC Radio's 'Northern Drift' in the 60's/70's. Contains his classic works (like 'Joe the Shepherd') and previously unpublished poems.
"Some of these poems I would not have selected myself. I am reminded of George Moore, who had published a deeply regretted collection of poems which he would later snatch from the book shelves of his friends." Jack Sharratt
About this Book: This volume brings together all the most significant verse by former BBC Radio Poet Jack Sharratt. He was renowned for his sharp and witty verse which he read out for the BBC, especially for the radio program 'Northern Drift'. His work has appeared in dozens of anthologies, above all the short poem 'Joe the Shepherd' and the title poem of this collection 'They May Never Pass This Way Again'. This is the second full-length compilation of his verse and includes new poetry published between 2001 and 2006. This new anthology includes a brief biographical note on the author and is illustrated with photographs and other images. It will be of special interest to students of modern poetry from the North of England, especially Leeds. Jack Sharratt was part of the literary group that included Keith Waterhouse (Billy Liar) though he would remain 'Up North' all his life. In his spare time he was an avid student of Greek and enjoyed reading Aristophanes and others. His brother was concert pianist Jeffrey Sharratt.
Biographical Info: Jack Sharratt, Poet, born on the 22nd of August 1926 in a working-class district of Leeds, was a voracious reader from his earliest years, mythology of the Ancient Greeks his first literary love, bewailing the death of Theseus at seven years of age. By ten he had exhausted his local library of all books of interest yet the librarians still tried their best to meet the demands of his insatiable curiosity. At school he was excused from the regular classes and left to do his own private reading in a quiet corner of the room, absorbing Momsen's and Grote's histories in his breaktime. Although he began writing in his teens he says that it was only at a far later stage that he took the pursuit seriously. Asked what authors were an influence on him in formative years he says "Everything was grist to the mill of course" - mentioning the names of Sappho, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Swinburne and Byron among many others. After a full poetic life he confesses to still finding poetry "a baffling thing", and is ever an explorer of new forms. As for the moderns, he says: "I do not understand Contemporary Poetry. It started with Eliot. I have not understood it since." From the sixties onwards he discovered renown as a writer when his poems and sketches were regularly broadcast on BBC Radio (above all on 'Northern Drift') and he appeared in journals of poetry, anthologies, festivals and attended readings.
Features of this Book: The present volume of "Selected Poetry" brings together some of his most popular works ('They May Never Pass This Way Again', 'Joe The Shepherd'. 'Stella Coulson') as well as heretofore unpublished works (such as 'Six Notes of Caution', 'Gettysburg', 'Famly History' and more). Jack Sharratt has also appeared in two other volumes on Living Time: 'No/nsense: Views from the Borderland' and 'The Poetry of Living Time'. He has appeared in two dozen other anthologies since the 1960s.
An Extract: 'Newton on the Sea Shore'
The nights come quicker as you age.
Under the sheets you do not remember
waking to the day agog with anticipation,
but sometimes through the windows
the turning star patterns arouse a passing interest.
We are told there are billions of stars per Galaxy,
then billions and billions of Galaxies.
It seems we see no difference out there
after all that Time and Space.
Nothing comes, no strange signals,
no important messages for translation,
no magic caves, no miraculous treasure,
only wheeling creation and destruction.
"Some of these poems I would not have selected myself. I am reminded of George Moore, who had published a deeply regretted collection of poems which he would later snatch from the book shelves of his friends." Jack Sharratt
About this Book: This volume brings together all the most significant verse by former BBC Radio Poet Jack Sharratt. He was renowned for his sharp and witty verse which he read out for the BBC, especially for the radio program 'Northern Drift'. His work has appeared in dozens of anthologies, above all the short poem 'Joe the Shepherd' and the title poem of this collection 'They May Never Pass This Way Again'. This is the second full-length compilation of his verse and includes new poetry published between 2001 and 2006. This new anthology includes a brief biographical note on the author and is illustrated with photographs and other images. It will be of special interest to students of modern poetry from the North of England, especially Leeds. Jack Sharratt was part of the literary group that included Keith Waterhouse (Billy Liar) though he would remain 'Up North' all his life. In his spare time he was an avid student of Greek and enjoyed reading Aristophanes and others. His brother was concert pianist Jeffrey Sharratt.
Biographical Info: Jack Sharratt, Poet, born on the 22nd of August 1926 in a working-class district of Leeds, was a voracious reader from his earliest years, mythology of the Ancient Greeks his first literary love, bewailing the death of Theseus at seven years of age. By ten he had exhausted his local library of all books of interest yet the librarians still tried their best to meet the demands of his insatiable curiosity. At school he was excused from the regular classes and left to do his own private reading in a quiet corner of the room, absorbing Momsen's and Grote's histories in his breaktime. Although he began writing in his teens he says that it was only at a far later stage that he took the pursuit seriously. Asked what authors were an influence on him in formative years he says "Everything was grist to the mill of course" - mentioning the names of Sappho, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Swinburne and Byron among many others. After a full poetic life he confesses to still finding poetry "a baffling thing", and is ever an explorer of new forms. As for the moderns, he says: "I do not understand Contemporary Poetry. It started with Eliot. I have not understood it since." From the sixties onwards he discovered renown as a writer when his poems and sketches were regularly broadcast on BBC Radio (above all on 'Northern Drift') and he appeared in journals of poetry, anthologies, festivals and attended readings.
Features of this Book: The present volume of "Selected Poetry" brings together some of his most popular works ('They May Never Pass This Way Again', 'Joe The Shepherd'. 'Stella Coulson') as well as heretofore unpublished works (such as 'Six Notes of Caution', 'Gettysburg', 'Famly History' and more). Jack Sharratt has also appeared in two other volumes on Living Time: 'No/nsense: Views from the Borderland' and 'The Poetry of Living Time'. He has appeared in two dozen other anthologies since the 1960s.
An Extract: 'Newton on the Sea Shore'
The nights come quicker as you age.
Under the sheets you do not remember
waking to the day agog with anticipation,
but sometimes through the windows
the turning star patterns arouse a passing interest.
We are told there are billions of stars per Galaxy,
then billions and billions of Galaxies.
It seems we see no difference out there
after all that Time and Space.
Nothing comes, no strange signals,
no important messages for translation,
no magic caves, no miraculous treasure,
only wheeling creation and destruction.