Write about an artist.
Include the following.
- Who he/she is
- What his/her story is
- Details about their work
- Why you chose to write about them
- Any other information
- An example of their work
220 words
I'd like to talk about the poet Philip Larkin. He wrote poetry after the second world war and continued until the 1970s.
He studied at Oxford University and then worked in a library in Hull in the north of England. He was offered the position of Poet Laureate but he turned it down.
His poetry is both complex and simple. It is very accessible but it also has a complexity which is very satisfying if you take the time to think about it. He has quite a pessimistic outlook on life and writes cynically about traditional conventions such as marriage, having children and religion. He also has a beautiful turn of phrase and ability to describe a moment with clarity and metaphor.
I really like his work. I think it's because I agree with a lot of what he's saying but also because I respect his style; Sophisticated but accessible and without pretension.
Here is one of his most famous poems and its translation into Spanish.
This Be The Verse
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.
Este es el verso (1)
by Phillip Larkin
by Phillip Larkin
Te joden tu mamá y tu papá.
...... Podrían no hacerlo, pero lo hacen.
Te llenan con los defectos que tenían
...... Y agregan algo extra, sólo para ti.
...... Podrían no hacerlo, pero lo hacen.
Te llenan con los defectos que tenían
...... Y agregan algo extra, sólo para ti.
Pero también ellos, en su momento, fueron jodidos
...... Por gente estúpida que usaba sombreros y abrigos pasados de moda,
Gente que la mitad del tiempo era sentimentalmente austera
...... Y la otra mitad, se agarraban del cuello.
...... Por gente estúpida que usaba sombreros y abrigos pasados de moda,
Gente que la mitad del tiempo era sentimentalmente austera
...... Y la otra mitad, se agarraban del cuello.
El hombre le cede la miseria al hombre.
...... Y se hunde en las profundidades como una plataforma marina.
Sal de ahí lo más pronto posible.
...... Y no tengas niños tú mismo.
...... Y se hunde en las profundidades como una plataforma marina.
Sal de ahí lo más pronto posible.
...... Y no tengas niños tú mismo.
