Programme 1

In Just

  e.e.cummings (1894-1962)

With some allusion to Blake, the American poet, Edward Estlin Cummings, placed ‘In Just’ within his ‘Chansons Innocentes’ collection. The happy springtime innocence of little children is recreated by the poem’s playful form, punctuation, semantic usage and, at times, breathless syntax.

However, a contrasting asymmetric rhythm and altogether slower pace – associated with the presence of an ambiguous, omnipresent adult character – creates an ominous backdrop. The ‘puddle-wonderful world’ of the little boys and girls seems set to be muddied by their inevitable transition from innocence to adult experience.

The interviewees are Jean Binta Breeze, Sophie Hannah, Roger McGough and Clare Pollard.