Alice Oswald, the acclaimed poet and former Oxford professor of poetry until 2023, is well-known for her public reflections on her craft. With the release of her inaugural full-length book, a significant milestone has been reached in her literary journey.
This new work, while classified as prose, is rich in poetic elements, many of which are either translated or created by Oswald herself. It features the voices of renowned poets such as Shakespeare, John Donne, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Ted Hughes. Although it is nonfiction, the book is infused with narratives, particularly reimaginings of classic works by Homer and Aeschylus. It is described as “genre-defying” and showcases various formal innovations. At its core, the book delves into the oral tradition, with Oswald’s subtitle, A Manifesto, suggesting a sense of urgency and relevance to the current societal climate.
The opening chapter connects the themes of Homer and spoken word through Oswald’s interaction with a Ukrainian heart transplant recipient who shares his story. She references cultural icons such as David Bowie and Nat King Cole, incorporates Catalan folk music, and introduces Badia Obaid, a storyteller from Mesopotamia born in Baghdad. This approach is significant, as the subsequent chapters focus less on individual experiences or the tangible implications of poetry.
The next nine chapters lead readers through a captivating and often lyrical exploration of poetry. Oswald’s talent for vivid imagery shines, offering striking phrases such as “woodland at night, when every tree gives off an applause of frightened birds,” and reflections in water described as a “liquid, impermanent, unstable gift of similarity.”
However, the conclusion of the book presents a range of historical interpretations of the term “rhapsody,” evolving from “exalted expression” in 1639 to “literary…miscellaneous or disconnected” by 1764, and eventually to an “instrumental composition enthusiastic in character but of indefinite form” by 1880. In ancient Greece, the rhapsode was known as a performer of oral poetry, often traveling from place to place.
This exploration of Rhapsody is not aimless; it seeks to uncover the moments beyond trends, superficiality, or empty rhetoric where genuine poetry emerges. This quest is both contentious and elusive, as poets throughout history have claimed to possess the secret of true poetic inspiration, which often resembles finding a needle in a haystack. At one point, Oswald even discovers this essence within the silence that exists between two lines of poetry.
This notion may sound unconventional, yet it resonates as she examines Shakespeare’s Sonnet 87. Oswald identifies the poem’s essence in the subtle pause created by punctuation and line breaks, suggesting, “An apparition floats up, the same shape as the original speaker’s lungs.” As a skilled performer herself, Oswald recognizes that the presence of an audience transcends mere words.
This may explain her frequent criticism of “scholars” and “academics,” despite including extensive endnotes filled with scholarly references. At times, it feels as though Oswald is engaging in a dialogue solely with the male figures of poetic history. Although she includes a poem by the late Nobel laureate Louise Glück, contemporary poets are noticeably underrepresented. This absence raises questions about the relevance of current poetic voices; without addressing modern creations, the manifesto may only advocate for existing works rather than the poetry being written today.
It is also somewhat disappointing that, reminiscent of her earlier poetry in Dart and A Sleepwalk on the Severn, Oswald resorts once more to using a flowing river as a metaphorical framework. In its concluding pages, Rhapsody emerges as a rallying cry for the natural world. Oswald recognizes this connection as fundamental not only to poetry but also to our physical existence. As she is aware from her work curating an anthology of his writings, Ted Hughes reached a similar conclusion many years prior. While this insight remains valid, important truths—like poetry—often bear repeating.
Rhapsody: A Manifesto by Alice Oswald is published by Jonathan Cape, retailing at £20. To support the Guardian, consider purchasing a copy at guardianbookshop.com, noting that delivery charges may apply.
