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| photo from wiki thanks |
Charles Causley
I'd downloaded a selection of episodes of Desert Island discs as treasures to listen to as I tootle about and I chanced upon this episode this morning and it was lovely. Mr Plomley and Mr Causley certainly gave the impression of settling down for a very relaxed and enjoyable chat. It was a pleasure to listen to. Interesting and gently entertaining in a very well mannered way. His life story and musical choices were quite delightful and his voice lovely with a nice touch of self depreciating humour in it.
Discussing the real joys of travel Mr Causley pointed out the dangers
"One mustn't do too much of it, a very dangerous thing for a writer he should Stay home and get on with the job............................the thing about All creativity is that it's a compulsion, one never really feels one wants to do it, one tries to invent all kinds of jobs that will, er, prevent one from making a start, if you know what I mean, but it is compulsion, one gets a notion in ones head that sort of ticks away, and it really gives one no rest until, it's been laid like a kind of ghost, then something else slowly begins to appear.."
Charles Causley in his own words talking to Roy Plomley in 1979 on Desert Island Discs Here
A brief Biography at the Charles Causley society here
from The Independent in November 1998
Causley at the Poetry Archive
His obituary from the Guardian here
A lovely celebration by Susan Hill is here and I can't resist quoting the last paragraph of it
Shortly after receiving the Heywood Hill prize, he was made a Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature, a rare honour, and asked me, again, to accept on his behalf. "What would you like me to say?" I asked.
The reply might well have been: "What an honour." Or perhaps, "What a surprise . . ."
But our greatest living poet, aged 83, asked me to say, "My goodness, what an encouragement." "
