Burning the Candle

2013 | Essays

Seldom does one get the chance to get as close as this to the writing process. The poet asks "Where does it come from, what starts it off, this itch to write?" and attempts an honest answer. This observation of the writing process and the conditions required for its success will be fascinating to students of literature, particularly those who write themselves. Christine Evans is a highly respected and award-winning poet - winning the Arts Council of Wales award for "Book of the Year" in 1989. Her Selected Poems published in 2004 was awarded the Roland Mathias Prize for "Welsh Writing in English" in 2005. Her reflections turn on the themes of the poem itself, our striving for light and meaning - 'we have come out of the dark expecting brightness' - and the draw of the blackness all around it. Nowhere is the darkness of death more evident than in the remains of Chernobyl. Reading this log is like listening to a friend, or getting long, chatty letters. But the writer is resolute: she will not waste time while this poem is on the go: 'no cake-baking to the afternoon play on radio 4. No making tea for all the people who drop in.'

Christine Evans (Author)