Dr Dannie Abse

This year some of the Year 12 English Literature groups studied Dannie Abse’s collection of poems 'Welsh Perspective' in tandem with Philip Larkin's 'Whitsun Weddings'.   Therefore, it was very exciting to have Dannie Abse come in and speak to the girls about his work.

Jessica:   Dannie Abse is a man of many talents.  Not only is he an award-winning poet but he is also a wonderful doctor.  When he visited, he told us of his experiences in medical school, and how he was inspired to write poetry as a student.   Since then, Dannie Abse has written and edited more than sixteen books of poetry, as well as medical books, plays and novels.  In his latest book, ‘The Presence’, he records his thoughts in diary form after the tragic death of his wife, Joan, in a car accident.   I was surprised by Dr Abse’s humble demeanour and his total modesty about his work.   He told us the stories behind many of his poems, yet when asked what he wanted the message of the poem to mean, he would answer with the same question again and again; “What do you think it means?” This showed his sense of humour and his eyes would twinkle with a hint of mischief. Dannie Abse was a fascinating speaker and he has inspired me to study English further so that I have the chance to learn more about his poetry.

Jessica, Year 10