BBC Radio 4 - A History of England in 25 Poems by Catherine Clarke, 4: Modernity, Mourning and the Shadow of War - 'Funeral Blues' by W. H. Auden

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W. H. Auden's beloved 'Funeral Blues', a moving portrait of grief, or a satire on 1930s nationalism? Clarke continues her exploration into how poetry has shaped English identity.

Catherine Clarke reads her new and original history of England - told through poetry.

Through five poems across a week, Clarke takes us onto battlefields, inside royal courts, below stairs of great houses and onto cricket pitches, with vivid voices, and surprising stories. In a portal to the past, she takes us inside the words and moments these poems capture, with new perspectives on how England has dreamed itself into existence - and who gets to tell its story.

W. H. Auden's 'Funeral Blues' is beloved as a moving portrait of grief. But today Clarke looks at how its unexpected origins in 1930s satire...

Writer and reader: Catherine is a Professor at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London, and Director of the Victoria County History of England.

Abridger: Richard Hamilton

Producer: Justine Willett