Hi guys. It seems the last two months have disappeared too quickly, but fortunately I've got a lot to look forward to in March.
The Mametz Wood project is still ongoing, and I'm currently in the process of reading other poets' work on the subject to give me a grounding in how to write about the battle. First on my list is Owen Sheers' take on the battle, with his eponymously titled 'Mametz Wood'. It mainly deals with the aftermath of the battle, but it's still a haunting portrayal of the long-term consequences of the First World War. There is of course David Jones' In Parenthesis, considered the definitive and best work on Mametz Wood, which is the go-to source when researching the battle. Hopefully, with such a precedent for work about this key event in Welsh history, I will have a good chance at formulating my own take on it.
In other news I'm planning to take on National Poetry Writing Month this year. I'm hoping this time I can actually reach the end of the month with a poem each day, especially after I failed two years ago. Due to the fast writing schedule, it's a given that most poems written during NaPoWriMo aren't great, and having read through some of the poems I wrote last time I can see I've got a lot of room for improvement. We'll see how I do when April arrives.
Aside from NaPoWriMo, there's plenty of poetry to come in the next few days. I've got a couple of animal-themed poems on the go at the moment, as well as an experimental piece which is taking a bit longer than I thought. Hopefully it'll appear on this blog before April, but if it doesn't then it will probably be finished before the summer at the latest.
Anyway, hope you're all having a good week, and to any Welsh readers I wish you a belated Happy St. David's Day!
Showing posts with label david jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label david jones. Show all posts
Friday, 3 March 2017
Monday, 9 January 2017
Update on Mametz Wood Project
Some of you may remember, back in 2015, I announced I was starting a long-term project related to the First World War. A lot has changed since I set myself that target, but I'm pleased to report that after a long hiatus, my poetic tribute to those who fought at the Battle of Mametz Wood is still on my to-do list.
Mametz Wood holds a profound place in Welsh memory. It was a mission by the 38th (Welsh) Division to capture the German-held position of Mametz Wood during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. An estimated 4,000 men of the Welsh Division lost their lives in the battle for the wood which saw a British victory over a heavily defended network of German trenches.
Many artists and poets have memorialised the events at Mametz Wood. The most famous example is the narrative poem 'In Parenthesis' by David Jones, who fought in the battle and provided the most vivid depiction of it. Others include the artist Christopher Williams, who painted The Welsh at Mametz Wood at the behest of David Lloyd George, and the more recent 'Mametz Wood' by Owen Sheers.
Following in footsteps such as these is certainly no easy task, but I will try my best.
Mametz Wood holds a profound place in Welsh memory. It was a mission by the 38th (Welsh) Division to capture the German-held position of Mametz Wood during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. An estimated 4,000 men of the Welsh Division lost their lives in the battle for the wood which saw a British victory over a heavily defended network of German trenches.
Many artists and poets have memorialised the events at Mametz Wood. The most famous example is the narrative poem 'In Parenthesis' by David Jones, who fought in the battle and provided the most vivid depiction of it. Others include the artist Christopher Williams, who painted The Welsh at Mametz Wood at the behest of David Lloyd George, and the more recent 'Mametz Wood' by Owen Sheers.
Following in footsteps such as these is certainly no easy task, but I will try my best.
Sunday, 17 May 2015
First World War Project Begins
So, as you can see the blog has had some redecoraters in. With so many new things on the horizon, the time has come to make the announcement I promised to make at the start of the week.
I've been talking about doing something to commemorate the centenary of the First World War for the last few months. More specifically, I wanted to commemorate something very specific about the First World War. This means that the project I'm announcing today won't cover the whole of the war, or won't be about the general themes and context which historians have been analysing for the last century. Instead it will be covering something that I've been interested in for a while, and which I'm finally tackling in writing form.
The battle at Mametz Wood as long been a focus of Welsh poets writing about the First World War. It's been written about by poets such as Owen Sheers and of course in the famous 'In Parenthesis' by David Jones who fought in the battle itself. It was a defining moment of the Battle of the Somme, and the assault by the Welsh Regiment upon German trenches in the wood was marked by the extraordinary courage displayed by the soldiers. It will be my task for the next year and a half to compose my own tribute to this little-known part of history. Whether I will succeed is yet to be seen, but I will do my best.
Hope you found this post informative and I'll see you with more poems and other good stuff soon.
I've been talking about doing something to commemorate the centenary of the First World War for the last few months. More specifically, I wanted to commemorate something very specific about the First World War. This means that the project I'm announcing today won't cover the whole of the war, or won't be about the general themes and context which historians have been analysing for the last century. Instead it will be covering something that I've been interested in for a while, and which I'm finally tackling in writing form.
The battle at Mametz Wood as long been a focus of Welsh poets writing about the First World War. It's been written about by poets such as Owen Sheers and of course in the famous 'In Parenthesis' by David Jones who fought in the battle itself. It was a defining moment of the Battle of the Somme, and the assault by the Welsh Regiment upon German trenches in the wood was marked by the extraordinary courage displayed by the soldiers. It will be my task for the next year and a half to compose my own tribute to this little-known part of history. Whether I will succeed is yet to be seen, but I will do my best.
Hope you found this post informative and I'll see you with more poems and other good stuff soon.
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