Video: Zoë reads her favourite poems – including Stevie Smith's!

25 April 2015 01:05

If you were lucky enough to get tickets to Stevie, you'll have had the pleasure of watching Zoë perform Stevie Smith's beautiful, witty poetry on-stage, in the role of the poet herself. In this new video by Connell Guides, which produces guides to great works of literature, Zoë reads and discusses two of her favourite poems – including Smith's most famous work, 'Not Waving but Drowning'.

As Zoë points out during her discussion with the founder of Connell Guides, Jolyon Connell, Smith's poignant poem cautions us against making assumptions about how people feel. It suggests, in Zoë's words, that 'we never know the truth about ourselves or each other'.

Zoe's other choice is also very memorable: 'This Be The Verse' by Philip Larkin. The poem's exploration of people's relationships with their parents, she emphasises, 'makes me laugh, and it's so true!'

If the video whets your appetite for literature, you'll be pleased to know Zoë has recommended a novel on Twitter. Ronald Forfar's A Wilderness of Monkeys focuses on an actor, Oliver Brandon, whose decision to take part in a production of The Merchant of Venice leads to his illusions – about himself and others – being shattered. It received great acclaim from Zoë's late friend Richard Griffiths.

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