15 October 2005
Saturday 15 October 2005 21:45-22:30 (Radio 3)
Ian McMillan presents another edition of the weekly cabaret of new writing, poetry and performance. There's a mesmerising performance from Klezmer musician Geoff Berner, and another instalment of Rommi Smith's series of poems based on memories of Africa.
Programme Details
This week on The Verb, Ian McMillan is joined by poet Ruth Padel and archaeologist Steven Mithen to discuss the place of poetry and language in evolution. Fossil remains show that our early ancestors were much more sensitive to pitch and rhythm than we are today, and it's likely they spoke in a mixture of grunts, squeaks and shouts which are closer to music than language. As humans developed, music became the carrier of emotional expression, while language conveyed information. Poetry, scientists argue, bridges the gap between the two. Ian and his guests discuss these findings and they explore what the history of evolution can tell us about rhythm, cadence and musicality in poetry today.
Also on the programme, Radio 3's writer in residence for the Africa season Rommi Smith performs another instalment of her series based on listeners' memories of Africa . Acclaimed Welsh writer Chris Meredith discusses his latest collection of poetry, The Meaning of Flight, and reads arresting new work including his upside-down zig zag composition about the Tower of Babel . There's also a specially written piece for The Verb about contemporary Balkan life by the great Croatian writer Dubravka Ugresic . Plus, spellbinding performance from Klezmer musician Geoff Berner, whose literary inspirations come from very unlikely sources.
That's all on The Verb with Ian McMillan and his guests at 21.45, here on BBC Radio 3.
Producer: Aasiya Lodhi
Additional Information:
The Meaning Of Flight by is published by Seren
The Ministry Of Pain by is published by Saqi Books
Dubravka Ugresic will be talking at the South Bank Centre's Purcell Room in London on Sunday 23 October 2005 at 2:00pm
Ruth Padel and Steven Mithen will be discussing Language, Poetry and The Brain on October 22 at the Theatre Royal, Winchester .
Tigers in Red Weather by Ruth Padel is published by Little, Brown
The Singing Neanderthal by Steven Mithen is published by Weidenfeld and Nicholson.
