Fitting too for his role as schoolmaster.Ĭausley never shook off his reputation as a writer of children’s poetry, but he never made an attempt to. Through the lens of war he was able to explore the pain of death and the confusion of life, as well as navigate the most widespread theme of his work: that of the loss of innocence to the gaining of experience. Unsurprisingly, his experiences of war were to be a constant subject of his poetry for the rest of his career. And perhaps I belong to be in Launceston.” haven’t wished that they’d stayed where – as we say in Cornwall – where they belong to be. "Starve emotionally, and imaginatively, as well as financially? I meet very few other poets who, secretively. “Why should I starve in London.?" Causley wrote. He travelled a lot in his retirement, revisiting places he saw in the war, and also travelled intermittently as a performing poet and writer in residence but there was no reason or pull strong enough ever to consider living anywhere else. It is notable also, how while his contemporaries were reacting to the vast changes of the 20th century in new and significant ways, Causley remained staunchly loyal to the folklore traditions of narrative poetry, and was unmatched in his rigid affection for devices such as rhyming couplets and metered verse.Ī primary school teacher for most of his life, the only time Causley moved away from his birthplace of Launceston was to fight in the navy as a young man in World War 2.
Less likely would this be the case for someone brought up in Cornwall, for his poetry has always been readily accessible to children, and his affinity to Cornish soil has solidified his reputation as a celebrated, regionalist poet.Īs a newcomer to his work, it’s easy to see why: Causley’s poetry navigates complex ideas in a simple and accessible way, and the poignancy of much of his work is matched by his playfulness of verse.
It’s possible the average literature student, or general reader of poetry even, has never come across the work of Charles Causley before. Dominic looks back at the Cornish poet’s humble life, his reputation as a children’s poet and his legacy as the Cornish Laureate.
0 kommentar(er)
