Cornish poet Charles Causley
is celebrated for his genius worldwide, but drew inspiration from his home; he lived
nearly all his life in the Duchy’s old capital Launceston. Admired by contemporaries
John Betjeman, Ted Hughes and Roger McGough, Causley’s work frequently embraced
his local area, as well as broader Cornwall and its plentiful legends. But he
also told tales of working people, simple stories at first glance, and the conflicts
they experienced in an often tough world.
Charles was born in his
grandmother’s small cottage by the River Kensey, along from Launceston’s St
Thomas parish church; his passion for poetry grew as a schoolboy. Dull day jobs
and evenings struggling to write was followed by naval service abroad during
the Second World War. Home in one piece, Charles trained as a teacher but continued
his poetry, inspired especially by WH Auden, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.
Success finally arrived in
1951 with publication of Farewell,
Aggie Weston, wartime recollections by turn exhilarating, sombre and bleak.
Charles compiled several anthologies, attracting admiration from writers as diverse
as Seamus Heaney, Philip Larkin, Edith Sitwell and John Wain. In the 1970s he began
writing children’s poetry, verses of innocence to charm young readers sometimes
by their very sounds. He also produced short stories, plays and opera
librettos.
Always a modest man, appearing at an
Edinburgh Festival Charles shared the bill with his early hero Auden: “It was
wonderful for me; I don't know what it was like for Auden.” In 1967 he was
awarded the Queen's Medal for Poetry, later the CBE. During 2000 the Royal
Society of Literature made Charles a Companion of Literature; his reaction at
83, a gentle-humoured, “My goodness, what an encouragement.” Roger McGough said
of him: “He sits at the foot of England and tickles its toes.”
Malcolm Wright chairs
Launceston’s Charles Causley Society and is a long-time admirer. He also helps
organise the town’s annual literary event, the Charles Causley Festival, which
this year takes place over the weekend of 7th – 9th June. Malcolm explained:
“We held our first festival in June 2010, and it’s been growing ever
since. Charles was primarily a poet, but
he was also an accomplished musician and dramatist, and the festival reflects all
these aspects of his artistic talents.” Each year sees visits by poets, writers
and musicians with live performances, talks, book-signings, exhibitions and
workshops. Even guided tours are available, bringing Charles’s Launceston alive
to visitors; people enjoy seeing the places mentioned in his work.
Visiting this year will be Sir
Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate. Sir Andrew, patron of the Charles
Causley Trust, will read from his new collection The Customs House, with a question-and-answer session together with
a book-signing; he’ll be at the Town Hall on Friday from 4.00pm. Friday night
will feature five contemporary poets: Matt Harvey, Simon Williams, and the Dead
Chough Collective otherwise known as Alan Kent, Les Merton and Mick Paynter. At
the Lawrence House Museum on Saturday, Alan will be launching his new collection
of Charles’s theatre works, along with a talk and book-signing.
Until recently, Launceston
resident Richard Graham ran the town’s bookshop; years ago the poet was among
his customers. A great fan, Richard said: “As well as his work for adults
Charles wrote a great deal of children’s poetry. He wrote for children as equals and never talked
down to them. He didn’t believe in age
distinction in poetry.” This year, among young readers’ events will be
BishBashBosh Productions’ Beast of Bodmin
Moor, a puppet show based on Cornwall’s mysterious big cat and how it came
to wander the wild landscape. Over the weekend too, The Story Republic will be
invading medieval Launceston Castle, small groups of storytellers armed with
Charles’s poetry to enchant children and adventurous adults.
With most events held in and
around the town’s centre, it’s easy to stroll between them. As you walk,
Charles’s Launceston comes to life. St Mary Magdalene church appears in the
ballad Sir Henry Trecarell as well as
Mary, Mary Magdalene while the school
where the poet taught is featured in Salt
and Pepper, recalling a crusty colleague. Launceston Castle lends the
backdrop for Mr Pennycomequick, a
cautionary children’s verse about an intrepid amateur parachutist. Other poetic
landmarks are Tom and Tim, the Guildhall’s quarter-jacks, as well as Zig Zag
Hill and the Eagle House Hotel’s fine pair of avian statues.
Among non-fiction writers
appearing this year, Caspar Henderson will talk about his Book of Barely Imagined Beings, a compendium of real creatures
often more astonishing than anything dreamed of in a medieval bestiary. He’ll
be at Liberty House (Jericho’s) on Saturday. Sunday sees Dr Michael Sparrow
share adventures from medical life, again at Liberty House, from 1 pm; the
stories, captured in his books Country
Doctor and Repeat Prescription,
would be entirely unbelievable if they weren’t 100% true.
Musical events will include Devon
folk-singer Jim Causley; he’ll be launching his new CD featuring Charles’s
poetry on Thursday 6 June at the Town Hall, as the Festival gets underway. Sunday’s
music features Launceston Live, again at the Town Hall from 6.30 to midnight,
with acts including Issy Paul and The Ukeladies. The evening’s headlined by
Dalla, Cornish Celtic music’s first supergroup, renowned for their performances
taking Cornwall’s melody and song throughout the Duchy and beyond.
But at the celebration’s
heart will be Charles Causley himself. His poetry is treasured by a wide, diverse
audience; its traditional forms, clarity and universal themes have an enduring
quality. Malcolm Wright summed up: “The real glory of Charles’s work lies in
its variety, from the sombre tones in Six
Women to the humour of When I Was a
Hundred and Twenty Four, and the observational skill in Timothy Winters. Charles is one of the best-loved
poets of the second half of the 20th century; he stands alongside Hughes,
Larkin, Heaney and Betjeman.”
Richard Graham added: “Charles
had a natural rhythm and cadence to his writing, perhaps made more natural because
he was also a musician. His poetry is very readable, understandable; he talked
in a simple way.” Another admirer was Ted Hughes, who wrote: “Before I was made
Poet Laureate, I was asked to name my choice of the best poet for the job. Without hesitation I named Charles Causley …
a poet for whom the title might have been invented afresh.”
For information on the Charles
Causley Festival, visit http://charlescausleyfestival.co.uk/
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