Patrick Kavanagh, never a prolific poet, did not receive the high regard he deserved during his lifetime, but is today regarded as a major figure whose influence on contemporary Irish poets such as Seamus Heaney has been profound. The discovery of two hitherto unpublished poems by Kavanagh is therefore an exciting development. Dr Frank Shovlin, a lecturer at the Irish Institute at the University of Liverpool, made the discovery last year during research for his PhD at Oxford.
The poems, 'Ungrateful Singer'(1936) and 'Untitled' (1951) will be published tomorrow in the Galway literary journal west47, and in the Times Literary Supplement. "The TLS does not normally agree to joint publication," says Maura Kennedy, co-editor of west47. But Dr Shovlin was adamant that the poems should appear in a small literary journal such as west47, because they were discovered in the archives of two similar magazines, Envoy (held at Carbondale, the University of Southern Illinois) and the Dublin Magazine (the personal archive of its then editor, Seamus O'Sullivan, and his wife, Esther Solomons, is held in TCD). 'Ungrateful Singer' had been submitted to the Dublin Magazine when Kavanagh was in his early 30s, still a relatively obscure and little-published poet, and was rejected. 'Untitled' had been accepted for publication by Envoy, but Kavanagh himself decided to withdraw the poem. "It's about the sacrifice of being a poet, how he has missed out on the domestic cosiness enjoyed by most men," explains Kennedy. " I think he felt it exposed him too much."
'Ungrateful Singer' is about "poetic angst that his God-given gift might be wasted on small heroes and rural themes. It is reminiscent of 'Iniskeen Road: July Evening'," continues Kennedy. She concludes: "They really are quality poems. Both are short - only 15 lines - and are compact, slow-burners."
Dr Shovlin, who hails originally from Donegal, was familiar with Kavanagh's work since his days researching his MA on Kavanagh, and was quickly able to identify the poems (discovered on two separate occasions) as unpublished work.
By an odd coincidence, last Friday the Irish Museum of Modern Art advertised for a new director just as Lars Nittve quit as director of Tate Modern in London, writes Aidan Dunne. IMMA applicants were invited to apply to the acting director - who, although not named, is Philomena Byrne, the impressively capable head of IMMA's press and publicity department (IMMA press releases are instantly recognisable not just from the logo but because they are invariably clear, detailed, informative and extremely literate). Apart from featuring in the Irish newspapers, the post of IMMA director is being advertised in the London Independent, the Guardian and in the Art Newspaper.
In London, Nittve, who is Swedish, quit what is on the face of it the best curatorial job in the world, as director of Tate Modern, the world's most popular art museum, after only two years. He was, reportedly, persuaded by the Swedish prime minister to take the helm of Stockholm's Moderna Museet (where he began his career). More sceptical observers suggest the imposing presence of Sir Nicholas Serota, who is overall head of huge Tale empire, including Tate Modern, might have been a factor in his decision. Julia Peyton-Jones, who has had something of a golden curatorial touch during her years at the Serpentine Gallery, has been named as a potential successor, but there is quite a leap in scale from the Serpentine, or for that matter from IMMA, to the huge Tate Modern. Chances are the Modern's directorship will not be advertised, but perhaps the most important question any prospective director could ask themselves is how well they get on with Serota.
A play by Steven Berkoff, directed by Conall Morrison? Sounds tempting. Called Kvetch, about our inner demons, this is just one of the exciting items lined up by the Kilkenny Arts Festival, which runs from August 10th to 19th. Also featured is the Beckett Trilogy by Gare St Lazare Players, with the acclaimed Conor Lovett. The Festival's International Chamber Music Series is directed by French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, who also performs, and there will be a parade of giant mechanical insects operated by Spain's Sarruga. There will also be an exhibition of work by the controversial Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein, now living in Tipperary, and readings by Michael Ondaatje, Graham Swift and Blake Morrison. Tel: 056-52175 or www.kilkennyarts.ie
Although the Belfast Festival at Queen's does not start until October 26th, a number of highlights have already been announced, including a Japanese season, with the Sappore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tadaaki Otaka; also the New Helsinki Quartet (multiple prize-winners in the International String Quartet Competition in London). A number of international shows will be performing their only Irish dates at the Belfast Festival: The Theft of Sita, which mixes Indonesian shadow puppetry with projection and multi-media and, from Lithuania, Oskaros Korsunovas presents his company's performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The camp gyrations of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks) will be on view. Local talent will be represented by Kabosh, Tinderbox, Replay, Prime Cut and Ridiculismus. More yet to be announced on September 5th. Tel: 028-90667687 or www.belfastfestival.com
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