Alice Oswald
Alice Oswald
================
Full Name and Common Aliases
-----------------------------
Alice Mary Oswald is a British poet known for her lyrical style and exploration of the natural world.
Birth and Death Dates
------------------------
Born: March 11, 1966, in London, England
No information available on her date of death (still active)
Nationality and Profession(s)
--------------------------------
Nationality: British
Profession: Poet
Early Life and Background
-----------------------------
Alice Oswald was born into a family that valued literature and the arts. Her parents were both writers, and she grew up surrounded by books and creative expression. She developed an early interest in poetry, which would eventually become her life's work.
Oswald studied English Literature at Wadham College, Oxford University. During this time, she honed her writing skills and began to develop her unique voice. After graduating, she worked as a translator and taught creative writing, further refining her craft.
Major Accomplishments
-------------------------
Alice Oswald has received numerous awards for her poetry, including the T.S. Eliot Prize in 2006 for her collection Dart. This work marked a significant shift in her style, incorporating elements of music and soundscapes to create a deeply immersive reading experience.
Her later collections have continued this exploration of language and form, solidifying her reputation as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary poetry.
Notable Works or Actions
-----------------------------
Some notable works by Alice Oswald include:
Dart (2006)
A Sleepwalk on the Severn (2010), a poetic exploration of the River Severn and its cultural significance
Mudlight (2012), a collection that delves into the world of fishermen and their relationship with the sea
Oswald has also written a number of essays and articles, exploring themes such as the intersection of poetry and science.
Impact and Legacy
----------------------
Alice Oswald's unique approach to language and form has had a profound impact on contemporary poetry. Her use of musical elements and exploration of the natural world have inspired a new generation of poets to experiment with their craft.
Her work also highlights the importance of connection between people, place, and environment, fostering empathy and understanding in her readers.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
------------------------------------------
Alice Oswald is widely quoted and remembered for her groundbreaking poetry that:
Explores the intersection of language, music, and nature.
Offers a new perspective on the human relationship with the natural world.
Pushes the boundaries of poetic form and structure.
Through her innovative work, Alice Oswald continues to inspire readers and writers alike, cementing her place as one of the most important voices in contemporary poetry.
Quotes by Alice Oswald
Alice Oswald's insights on:
I stood looking down through the beech trees. When I threw a stone I could count to five before the splash. Then I jumped in a rush of gold to the head, through black and cold, red and cold, brown and warm, giving water the weight and size of myself in order to imagine it, water with my bones, water with my mouth and my understanding. When my body was in some way a wave to swim in, one continuous fin from head to tail, I steered through rapids like a canoe, digging my hands in, keeping just ahead of the river.
If you put a real leaf and a silk leaf side by side, youll see something of the difference between Homers poetry and anyone elses. There seem to be real leaves still alive in the Iliad, real animals, real people, real light attending everything.
One night, I lay awake for hours, just terrified. When the dawn finally came up - the comfortable blue sky, the familiar world returning - I could think of no other way to express my relief than through poetry. I made a decision there and then that it was what I wanted to do. Every time I pulled a wishbone, it was what I asked for.
To be a poet is as serious, long-term and natural as the effort to be the best human you can be. To express something well is not a question of having a top-class education and understanding poetic forms: rather, it's a question of paying attention.
At eight, I made a commitment to poetry. Until then, I thought I'd be a policeman. But I went a whole night without sleeping, and the next day the world had changed. It needed a different language.
People are so used to reading novels now, they just read a poem straight through to get the meaning. And that's something totally different from the slow way you read something if it's a tune; which to me a poem has to be.
It's the stickiness of earth that makes it problematic - the way it stains your straps and ingrains your hands so you can't quite tell where you start and stop.
I think it's often assumed that the role of poetry is to comfort, but for me, poetry is the great unsettler. It questions the established order of the mind. It is radical, by which I don't mean that it is either leftwing or rightwing, but that it works at the roots of thinking.
I hate not managing to speak clearly. I really hate it. I get a feeling of claustrophobia - like I'm locked in my own head - if what I've said hasn't reached someone.
It's a question of trying to take down by dictation what's already there. I'm not making something, I'm trying to hear it.