Darwin: A Life in Poems

Padel, Ruth

ISBN 10: 0701183853 / ISBN 13: 9780701183851

Published by Chatto & Windus, 2009

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Darwin: A Life in Poems
• Publisher: Chatto & Windus
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0701183853
• ISBN 13: 9780701183851
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

An intimate and highly original interpretation of the life and work of Charles Darwin, by his great great grand-daughter, acclaimed poet, Ruth Padel.

Charles Darwin lost his mother at the age of eight, repressed all memory of her, and poured his passion into solitary walks, collecting newts and shooting. His five year voyage on the Beagle, in his twenties, changed his life. Afterwards, in London in 1838, he began publishing his findings and working privately on groundbreaking theories about the development of animal species, including human beings. He had a very happy marriage with his cousin Emma, and his emotions were no longer frozen, but both were painfully aware of the gulf between her devout Christian faith and his increasing religious doubt. The death of three of their ten children accentuated this gulf. For him, death and extinction were part of the survival of the fittest, for her, it was a prelude to an afterlife.

In this new sequence of poems, using multiple viewpoints, Ruth Padel follows not only the development of the great scientist’s professional thought, and the drama of the discovery of evolution, but also imagines the fluctuating emotions within Darwin, the private man and tender father. It is a moving and powerful tribute to her famous forbear.

About the Author

Ruth Padel is a prize-winning poet with seven poetry collections to her name, including Voodoo Shop and The Soho Leopard, both shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize.