Jacke Wilson

Author

Writers Laughing: Seamus Heaney

Still working up the next Object. In the meantime, let’s enjoy a bit of mirth with the great Seamus Heaney, caught here in the act of extreme laughing:

Heaney2

That’s the kind of raw exuberance that makes his translation of Beowulf so good! Here’s a more natural one:

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And here’s one with a special guest star…

heaney-milosz

Czeslaw Milosz! And of course, with yet another genius, Joseph Brodsky.

Brodsky Heaney

Poets enjoying life! And each other! What could be better?

Image Credits: Charles Platiau/Reuters, LA Review of Books, boston.com, fruela.blogspot.com

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jackewilson

Jacke Wilson is the host of the popular podcast “The History of Literature,” available for free on iTunes, Stitcher, and other podcasting platforms. Learn more at historyofliterature.com and facebook.com/historyofliterature.

15 responses to “Writers Laughing: Seamus Heaney”

  1. Deanmcsmith Avatar
    Deanmcsmith

    just an amazing poet

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  2. writersdream9 Avatar
    writersdream9

    Beautiful!!

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  3. Lew-Ellyn Hughes Avatar
    Lew-Ellyn Hughes

    Where did you get the idea to do this? I love it.

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    1. jackewilson Avatar
      jackewilson

      Glad you like it! I’m pretty sure it happened when I ran across the picture of Sartre and DeBeauvoir laughing. It made me so happy to see two people, especially two people we normally think of as serious thinkers, enjoying themselves in a natural setting (looking for laughter almost guarantees that the picture would be natural – hardly anyone would ever laugh in a posed picture). One picture led to another…and here we are! A whole series. Just when I think I’ve found my favorite, another one pops up. And stay tuned – I have a few more good ones lined up!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Lew-Ellyn Hughes Avatar
        Lew-Ellyn Hughes

        “enjoying themselves in a natural setting (looking for laughter almost guarantees that the picture would be natural” So true! Like I said, I live it! Keep it up!

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  4. Hobbie DeHoy Avatar
    Hobbie DeHoy

    Extreme laughing should be a sport.

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  5. grimbeau Avatar
    grimbeau

    That’s the spirit!

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  6. joanbarbarasimon Avatar
    joanbarbarasimon

    I love and look forward to every picture in this series, Jacke! Turned on my pc, skimmed incoming mails for your address, saw this one, opened it: what a laugh! I can almost hear it. AND picture his stomach wobbling in time. Made me think of a happy hippo. You’ve made my day. I’m relying on you to keep this up! lol.

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    1. jackewilson Avatar
      jackewilson

      You’re welcome! A happy hippo – I love it!

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      Reply
  7. Shery Alexander Heinis Avatar
    Shery Alexander Heinis

    If you can get a video/photo with Seamus Heaney, Joseph Brodsky AND Derek Walcott (St. Lucia born like me, and 1992 Nobel Laureate ), the famous poetry triumvirate, that would be a marvel!

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    1. jackewilson Avatar
      jackewilson

      Your wish is my command…

      ht carribean-beat.com

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      1. Shery Alexander Heinis Avatar
        Shery Alexander Heinis

        Are you the fairy god-mother by any chance 🙂 This is marvellous! Thank you so much!!! Now if I could figure out a way to link this to my blog…

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      2. jackewilson Avatar
        jackewilson

        Happy to help! By the way, I don’t know if you ever ran across this post of mine from some months ago, but I once linked to an article that traced a poem by Auden as it influenced poems by – you guessed it – Brodsky, Wolcott, and Heaney! The post isn’t much more than a quote and a link but the article itself is highly recommended! http://goo.gl/1mxzjF

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      3. Shery Alexander Heinis Avatar
        Shery Alexander Heinis

        Now, isn’t this interesting! I’m just reading Derek Walcott’s “Selected Poems” and the introduction mentions this Auden poem and its influence on these 3 great poets! I would like to reblog it, but can’t find the button in the post.

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      4. Shery Alexander Heinis Avatar
        Shery Alexander Heinis

        Ok. Found the button. Apparently, I wasn’t signed in.

        Like

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