The Ode Less Travelled - Stephen Fry

Poetry has enjoyed a massive resurgence in popularity of late. Poetry competitions large and small now have come to expect to be deluged with entries. Don't ask me why - it could be that we are much more used to getting in touch with our thoughts and expressing our feelings than ever before. Poetry writing has the bonus of being a hobby you can partake in practically anywhere - on the bus, waiting for the bus, in the garden, on the loo. All you need is a pen and paper and you're away. In theory that is. But blank paper can be intimidating, ailing many a poet with the debilitating 'Writer's Block'. Add to that the massive reputation of great poets from ...

This book may not be quite what you expect from a man with such a high profile name and reputation, but then when you consider the nature of Stephen Fry, it is exactly the sort of thing that he is the master of. We all know of the lovely Stephen through such a well-rounded body of media work. Most will know him for his work with Hugh Laurie, intellectual meets nonsense comedy, a sort of Pythonesque duo for the next generation, but as Laurie has more recently shown there is much more to Stephen Fry than arsing about with long words and disdainful looks. Fry’s back catalogue includes a string of books, television host spots, writing, production and directorial credits for ...

Please overlook this brief preamble. It's intended to use up the bit of space alongside the ad that Dooyoo will probably place adjacent to the opening lines of the review. Since the review's in verse form, I don't want to lose the shape of the stanzas. If, fledgling poet, you aspire To be a better versifier, May I suggest you take a look Inside the covers of this book? You'll find prosodic knots unravelled In Stephen Fry's 'The Ode Less Travelled'; (In case the title has you lost, It guys a line from Robert Frost). You'll find within it all the rules, So seldom taught in modern schools, That ...