RSL Remembers: Fleur Adcock (In person)
Fleur Adcock’s work defined a new tone in 20th century poetry. Her writing was, and remains, beloved by poets, teachers and a wide range of readers, who value her incisive wit, beautiful frankness and often surprising humour.
To quote Carol Ann Duffy’s description of Fleur Adcock’s poetry: “The sharper edge of her talent is encountered like a razor blade in a peach.”
She celebrated her 90th birthday with the release of an edition from Bloodaxe Books of her Collected Poems upon which she delighted audiences at select poetry festivals across the UK with a series of readings. We sadly lost Fleur a few months afterwards. For this event, the RSL will mark her 91st birthday at The London Library, with a discussion about her work and legacy, interspersed with recordings of the poet reading her own work. The panel will include editor of Bloodaxe Books, Neil Astley, celebrated poet and contemporary, Wendy Cope and poet and poetry librarian Lorraine Mariner. The event will be chaired by Rachel Long.
Neil Astley is the editor of Bloodaxe Books, which has, for 40 years, published poetry from the most inclusive and international range of authors, who have won all the major prizes, including Pulitzers and Nobels. Its numerous anthologies, often edited by Neil, have also been game-changers. They include the Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Women Poets (ed. Jenny Couzyn) in 1985, through to the Staying Alive trilogy (2002-2011). Astley is himself a poet and novelist. The End of My Tether (2002) was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award. Astley was Fleur Adcock’s, editor, publisher and long-time friend.
Wendy Cope OBE is one of the world’s best loved poets. Cope’s first collection of poems, Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis, published in 1986 saw her become both a bestseller and a celebrated poet. Her subsequent collections have been equally well received and highly lauded, filled with her characteristic insight and brilliant humour. Fleur Adcock is one of her favourite poets.
Lorraine Mariner is a poet and librarian living in London. She has published two collections, Furniture (2009) and There Will Be No More Nonsense (2014) and has been shortlisted for the Forward Prize twice, for Best Single Poem and Best First Collection, and for the Seamus Heaney Centre Poetry Prize. She has written on Fleur Adcock’s use of humour in her poetry for the Journal of New Zealand Literature.
Rachel Long founded and ran Octavia Poetry Collective for Women of Colour. Her debut collection, My Darling from the Lions, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, The Costa Book Award, The Rathbones Folio Prize and The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. The US edition featured in the New York Times Book Review, and was named one of the 100 must-read books of 2021 by TIME. Long recently interviewed Fleur Adcock on Radio 4.
Books by Fleur Adcock and the speakers will be available to buy at the event and online from our partner bookshop Hatchards.
NB This event will take place in person at The London Library. Doors (and the bar) will open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Please see our Event Access Guidelines before you arrive.
Free for RSL Members & Fellows and London Library Members (If you are a London Library Member, please use the Public Tickets button and enter the discount code from the London Library newsletter to claim your free ticket). Public tickets can be purchased for £5.
