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Poetry community to celebrate Tennyson’s ‘In Memoriam AHH’

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (left) and Arthur Henry Hallam

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (left) and Arthur Henry Hallam

18 January 2011

Figures such as former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion and novelist Alan Hollinghurst are among those scheduled to take part in a public reading of Alfred Tennyson’s ‘In Memoriam AHH’, considered one of the great English poems of the 19th century.

Figures such as former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion and novelist Alan Hollinghurst are among those scheduled to take part in a public reading of Alfred Tennyson’s ‘In Memoriam AHH’, considered one of the great English poems of the 19th century.

This year marks the bicentenary of the birth of Alfred Tennyson’s close friend Arthur Henry Hallam, in response to whose death the poet wrote ‘In Memoriam AHH’. Hallam is interred beneath St Andrew's Church in Clevedon, near Bristol.

To commemorate this anniversary, St Andrew’s is to host a reading of the complete work, along with a selection of poems and passages written by Hallam. The public event, on Tuesday 1 February, is being organised by Dr Jane Wright, Lecturer in the Department of English.

The readings will begin at 2pm and finish around 6pm, with refreshment breaks included. Alongside commemorating Hallam and celebrating the poems, the event will bring together staff and students from the Bristol English Department and other parts of the University, members of the Hallam family, the local community, and the Tennyson Society. Among the readers confirmed so far are Professor Marion Shaw (Chair of the Tennyson Society), former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion, and the novelist Alan Hollinghurst.

The event is free and open to all, although the church has a capacity of around 200 people. If you would like to attend – either as a reader or simply to listen – please email Dr Wright by Thursday 20 January, and indicate clearly whether you would like to read (subject to available ‘slots’) or just listen.

 

 

Further information

Poetry reading: Tennyson's 'In Memoriam AHH' and selected works by Arthur Henry Hallam. Tuesday 1 February, 2011, 2pm-6pm, St Andrew's Church, Clevedon.
Please contact Jane Wright for further information.
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