Imtiaz Dharker's Over the Moon on A Good Read
A Good Read, BBC Radio 4, Friday 13 January 2017, 4.30pm (programme first aired 22 & 25 March 2016 & repeated 22 September 2016)
Imtiaz Dharker’s moving fifth book of poetry Over the Moon, for which she was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry, was recommended on A Good Read on Radio 4. This was the choice of broadcaster Nikki Bedi.
Nikki Bedi called Over the Moon 'a triumph of simple poetry' for the way in which it is ‘so effective in capturing grief, loss, longing and emptiness’ without ever becoming mawkish. Presenter Harriet Gilbert read out one of her favourite poems, ‘Late’, and Nikki Bedi read ‘Say His Name’. They also discussed the humour in the book, naming poems such as 'I Swear'. Imtiaz Dharker’s beautiful drawings, which feature on the cover and in the book, were not mentioned - click on 'View Extract' on the title page for Over the Moon to see some examples.
‘Bestselling author Marian Keyes and broadcaster Nikki Bedi talk about their favourite reads with Harriett Gilbert. They've chosen The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver's tale of American missionaries in the Congo, Nick Hornby's first novel High Fidelity, and Imtiaz Dharker's poetry collection Over the Moon, which deals with themes of grief and loss.’
Click here to listen to the programme (Over the Moon is discussed from 11.19)
IMTIAZ DHARKER PRESENTS HALF-HOUR RADIO 4 FEATURE THE SIGH
The Sigh, BBC Radio 4 'Seriously', Monday 19 December 2016, 8pm, repeated Wednesday 21 December 2016, 11am
Half-hour feature on sighing presented by Imtiaz Dharker. At 15.28 Imtiaz spoke about and read an extract from her own poem 'The Last Sigh' from her 2006 collection The terrorist at my table. Imtiaz Dharker's most recent collection is Over the Moon, for which she was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.
‘Award-winning poet Imtiaz Dharker explores the history, cultural significance, physiology and psychology of sighing. She considers its role in literature, music, religion and life. … From John Clare, Keats and Imtiaz's own work, via Shakespeare to Elgar, Dido's Lament and As Time Goes By, the sigh appears across the world in poetry, fiction, art and music.’
[19 January 2017]
