Political Poems: ‘Station Island’ by Seamus Heaney
<p>As an undergraduate, Seamus Heaney visited Station Island several times, an ancient pilgrimage site traditionally&nbsp;associated with St Patrick and purgatory. Decades later, Heaney worked through competing calls for political engagement and his long-lapsed Catholicism in ‘Station Island’, a poem he described as an ‘exorcism’.</p><br><p>A dreamlike reworking of Dante’s <em>Purgatorio</em>, ‘Station Island’ describes Heaney’s encounters with the ghosts of childhood acquaintances, literary heroes and victims of the Troubles. Seamus and Mark explore Heaney’s unusually autobiographical poem, which wrestles with the inescapability of politics.</p><br><p>Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe: </p><br><p>Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4dbjbjG </p><p>In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings&nbsp;</p><br><p>Further reading in the LRB:</p><br><p>Paul Muldoon: Sweaney Peregraine</p><p>https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v06/n20/paul-muldoon/sweaney-peregraine</p><br><p>Seamus Perry: We Did and We Didn’t</p><p>https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n09/seamus-perry/we-did-and-we-didn-t</p><br><p>John Kerrigan: Hand and Foot</p><p>https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v21/n11/john-kerrigan/hand-and-foot</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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Show Notes
As an undergraduate, Seamus Heaney visited Station Island several times, an ancient pilgrimage site traditionally associated with St Patrick and purgatory. Decades later, Heaney worked through competing calls for political engagement and his long-lapsed Catholicism in ‘Station Island’, a poem he described as an ‘exorcism’.
A dreamlike reworking of Dante’s Purgatorio, ‘Station Island’ describes Heaney’s encounters with the ghosts of childhood acquaintances, literary heroes and victims of the Troubles. Seamus and Mark explore Heaney’s unusually autobiographical poem, which wrestles with the inescapability of politics.
Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:
Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4dbjbjG
In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings
Further reading in the LRB:
Paul Muldoon: Sweaney Peregraine
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v06/n20/paul-muldoon/sweaney-peregraine
Seamus Perry: We Did and We Didn’t
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n09/seamus-perry/we-did-and-we-didn-t
John Kerrigan: Hand and Foot
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v21/n11/john-kerrigan/hand-and-foot
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.