SIMON MUNDY

More for Helen of Troy, Simon Mundys new collection of poems from Seren, is suffused with the atmosphere of the landscapes that inspire him, the lush countryside of Powys, and a number of islands all over the world:Genada, Jamaica, Shetland, Italy. It is also deeply involved with many questions of desire: for the ideal of a beautiful woman, as Mermaid; for the hope of a good state, as in The New Senedd, Cardiff for the vision of a pristine country and seaside, as in Radnor Songs and Aspects of Sea. The tension between all these ideals, between lofty aims and inevitable disappointments, come together in the main title sequence, where an entire society must scheme and suffer for the allure of Helen. Helen is also emblematic: both a legendary figure and a imago for women from all times: pursued, desired, lonely, restless, she haunts the imagination of the poet. Sometimes keenly satirical, as in Society Haiku, and often poignantly lyrical as in Translated Daughter, these poems are both pointed and enjoyable.

Simon Mundy nos ofrece una íntima biografía llena de datos eruditos, extraídos del extenso material dejado por el compositor, tanto en sus innumerables cartas a amigos y familiares, como en su diario personal, que arroja luz sobre sus emociones intimas y sobre los aspectos mas controvertidos de su personalidad. El autor pone el acento en los episodios vitales que mas repercusion tuvieron en el espiritu y, por ende, en la obra de este magnifico compositor: la muerte de su madre (victima del colera cuando Piotr tenia catorce años), sus viajes por el mundo, su asistencia a conciertos en Paris y Londres o la dificultad para vivir libremente su condicion de homosexual. Ademas, Mundy repasa uno a uno los estrenos y los exitos de las obras principales del compositor ruso mas cosmopolita y acompaña todos los pasajes de explicaciones que los situan en su contexto historico y social.

Stories surrounding the legendary King Arthur have been told since time immemorial, and every generation has a new take on the tale. The Fragile Land approaches the legend from a radical angle, setting it firmly in the post-Roman world of late fifth-century Europe, when the language of Britannia was still Brythonic and the Saxons had not yet superimposed their own place names.The Fragile Land chronicles the crucial years of Arthurs life, from the age of fifteen into his early thirties, as he comes to the fore as elected Overlord, empowered to confront the Barbarian threat and to keep the factious leaders of the islands kingdoms in some sort of political alliance. Enhanced by a beautifully illustrated map by the artist Kate Milsom, Simon Mundys cunningly woven tale of an island in unrest draws subtle parallels with contemporary cultural disputes and casts the legend in a whole new light.

The Café Franck in Brussels Place Flagey puts people at their ease – artists with European politicians and their assistants, tousled intellectuals with bar staff, twenty-somethings in need of a job w

Waiting for Music is the fifth collection of poetry from the acclaimed writer Simon Mundy. A great champion of the arts, his relationships with musicians, visual artists and dancers are the main driving force behind his poetry, and this book sets out a playlist that stems from music, visual art and dance from Brahms late piano works to a scene for soprano and dancers, written to be set by Roxanna Panufnik, that was inspired by a 16th century picture in the National Gallery.Published after a year spent waiting for music to appear on our landscape once more, Waiting for Music collects the voices of an array of composers, cultures and forms, set against backdrops ranging from Valparaiso to the Veneto, and celebrates the sounds and stages that have been missing from our lives this silent year.