Tales from the World City
‘You said “I’ll go to another country, go to another shore, find another city better than this one.”‘ – C.P. Cavafy. What is it that drives people to the city? Do we get lost or are we reborn? What lures us to particular cities? A sense of history? Or its limitless opportunities for companionship? On this online course we will be ‘hitting the streets’ (as Queneau might have it), diving into dark alleyways, discovering and delighting poetry and prose that has been inspired by some of the greatest cities in the world. Over fortnightly sessions we will write our own poems and narratives in response to the cities we have known, and the cities we haven’t, as well as considering The Global City – the ur-city, that almost ineffable Shangri-la that somehow simultaneously exists in all cities at once. Featuring work from all around the world by, amongst others, Tomas Transtromer, Ocean Vuong, Charles Simic, Italo Calvino, Toni Morrison and Charles Dickens. It promises to be both the best of courses and the worst of courses…
This is a private group. To join you must be a registered site member and request group membership.