The Morag Morris Poetry Lecture

Wednesday 1 October 2008

Acclaimed poet and novelist Iain Sinclair will give the annual Morag Morris Poetry Lecture on Thursday, 9 October at 6.30 p.m. at School of Management Lecture Theatre, University of Surrey. The subject of this free lecture, which marks National Poetry Day, is John Clare.

In 1841 John Clare escaped from an asylum in Epping Forest and set out on an eighty mile journey to his home in Northborough, on foot and alone, searching for his lost love, Mary Joyce - a woman three years dead.

In this year's Morag Morris Poetry Lecture, the first since Morag has retired from the direct organisation of the event, Iain Sinclair pursues his ongoing obsession with the poet, retracing Clare's long walk away from madness, engaging with a ghost whose once forgotten voice has become a strange and vital presence in contemporary culture.

Iain Sinclair has lived in (and written about) Hackney, East London, since 1969. His novels include Downriver (Winner of the James Tait Black Prize & the Encore Prize for the Year's Best Second Novel), Radon Daughters, Landor's Tower and Dining on Stones (which was shortlisted for the Ondaatje prize). Non-fiction books, exploring the myth and matter of London, include Lights Out for the Territory, London Orbital and Edge of The Orison. In the '90s, Iain wrote and presented a number of films for BBC 2's Late Show and has, subsequently, co-directed with Chris Petit four documentaries for Channel 4; one of which Asylum, won the short film prize at the Montreal Festival. His most recent book London, City of Disappearances, was published in October 2006.

Professor Marion Wynne-Davies, Head of the English Department at the University of Surrey, comments: "We are delighted that Ian Sinclair, one of the foremost writers in Britain today, is giving this year’s Morag Morris Poetry Lecture. While we all regret that Morag is no longer able to coordinate the event, the Department of English and the University Art’s Office will ensure that the lecture series continues to attract speakers of the highest calibre."

Media Enquiries

Peter La, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689191, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk