Brand New Ancients

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I can’t really say that I’m that fond of the plot, it’s not bad in any way but after the appraisal that it was given by friends I was expecting more.

I really wanted to like this idea but couldn’t help being a bit disappointed in the end because I felt that the two sides of it – the ancient myths and the variations of modern-day heroism – were only loosely connected. You would never know, reading this, that London was an international city; the prospect of multiple cultures never darkens this doorstep.It is entirely possible that this issue is one I only noticed because I read the poem instead of listening to it being performed; I might not have paid so much attention to the narrative structure otherwise. Kae Tempest is one of the most exciting and innovative performers to have emerged in spoken-word poetry in many years: this dramatic poem won the prestigious Ted Hughes Prize for innovation in poetry. An ancient god’s name here, a examination of modern godhood there, but overall much of this analogy, and especially of Tempest’s ancient inspirations, remained unexplored. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Mostly, in that it does not live up to its premise of finding the godlike in quotidian contemporary life.

I didn't want to read a story/poem about the intertwining fates of people trying to people and people trying to be monsters.

One note up front - while I am sure that the prose is powerful on the page alone, I listened to the audio production. In short, this one doesn't really do a good job of living up to the whole Ancient/Modern mash-up because it really just uses the idea of the gods as a mask.

It suggests that this outcome could be avoided – like characters from the Greek mythology she draws upon, we all have the ability to become a hero or to become wicked, but it’s up to us how we choose to use this power. Tempest sings of the extraordinary contained within the ordinary in language that is sometimes elevated but more often the vernacular used by the characters she has created. I really like Greek Mythology and loved how Kate played around with it, finding examples of ancient God’s in everyday people. It’s truly impressive how much story and characterization get packed into such a small number of pages. Tempest’s work as a rapper is clear, and I think Brand New Ancients works best read aloud to really appreciate the work that has gone into crafting this poem.They received the Ted Hughes Award for their long-form narrative poem Brand New Ancients and the Leone D’Argento at the Venice Teatro Biennale for their work as a playwright. One thing I noticed it that some of the wording on the audio differs from the printed version, and in most cases the words used on the audio are better. They have published plays, poems, a novel, a book-length essay, released albums and toured extensively, selling out shows from Reykjavik to Rio de Janeiro. The scope is epic, but the drama has the sort of exquisite fragility that only comes from brilliant writing about the most ordinary of souls. Kate Tempest is a very skilled poet with a knack for language, but I wasn't entirely sold on the 'plot' of this long poem and her juxtaposition of ancient heroes and modern-day Londoners.

Our blog is written by many different voices and, although everything we share is in line with our values, some of the views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the wider views of GWL. She deftly weaves together two generations of modern families, telling stories of love, betrayal, anger and revenge with a minimum of verbiage. Her poetry flows in a way that translates to the page extremely well but works even better when spoken aloud (as the poem should be, the title page advises).Tempest’s gods and heroes are the everyday characters, the little people who keep getting up and keep carrying on despite all odds. This studio production of her acclaimed stage show captures her unique blend of street poetry, rap and storytelling. Fuck me, but I'd rather be watching "Downton": at least no-one pretends that that anti-socialist fantasy is contemporary.