LifecanbetoffFollowing the launch on Saturday 2 December of Papiliones by Jonathan Bradley, I chatted to the author asking him about his inspirations for the poetry book.
Interview with…Jonathan Bradley author of Papiliones
1. Please tell us about Papiliones.
Papiliones is a collection of thirty-three of my poems, and one guest poem by a poet friend, all of them inspired by butterflies. For each of the butterflies featured in the book I have also written about their English and scientific Latin names, as I feel that some of the names are poetic in themselves, and included a colour photograph. The book is unusual because it mixes poetry, prose and pictures. Very few books of poetry are like that. I believe that this presentation helps some people who would not normally be drawn to poetry to enjoy it.
2. How long has it been in the making?
I wrote the first of the poems in this book about ten years ago and I’ve added to them since then. During that time I was doing a day job and writing other things as well. Butterfly poems don’t come instantly, and it has taken a while to bring the book to fruition. The stories about the names involved a lot of research and then had to be written. It also took some time to choose the photographs.
3. How do you feel about the launch of Papiliones?
I’m delighted with it. The physical book is of high quality – a hardback with a lovely dustcover, and the whole of it beautifully laid out and typeset. It is a dream come true. I do understand, of course, that some readers may enjoy the book more than others, and some may not even like the book at all, but at least I’ve managed to take it into print and that gives me great satisfaction. The reaction from readers so far has been very positive.
4. Why butterflies and what was it about them that inspired you to write poetry?
I’ve loved butterflies for a very long time, even before I wrote the first butterfly poem, and I’ve enjoyed wild places and creatures. I think we can find poetry everywhere in the natural world, but for me nowhere more so than in butterflies. What is poetic about butterflies? At their best, poems inspire an intensity of perception that changes the way we think and feel. Butterflies can have similar effects on people, and have done so for thousands of years. In the foreword to my book the author and naturalist Matthew Oates writes about this:
“Butterflies have long been in the poet’s eye. This fascination flows back to the ancient Greeks, who believed that the human soul departs from the body on the wings of a butterfly. They created Psyche, the goddess of the soul, from their word for a butterfly – psyche. There is also the symbolism of metamorphosis, which from a poetic angle is deeply profound, offering myriad possibilities and analogies with the human condition.”
I’m inspired by their colour, their vulnerability, their delicacy, their symbolism and their capacity to arouse emotion in human beings, and then I feel like writing about them.
5. How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing since I was very young, maybe nine or ten years old. When I was about fourteen I won a prize at school for a poem about a ballet dancer, and on the strength of that decided I wanted to be writer! Life didn’t turn out quite like that, and for many years I had to earn a living doing other things as well. More recently I’ve had more time for writing, and that is a great pleasure.
6. What’s your poetry writing routine – do you have a favourite spot to write?
Poems don’t always come at convenient times. Depending on the subject matter and my state of mind they can appear like rays of sunshine suddenly shining through clouds, or, on the other hand, like a flat tyre or indigestion. I don’t find poems predictable, but when I have a good idea I also feel a strong compulsion to write it down, even though writing poetry can be very hard work. Some places are much more conducive to writing than others. I’ve written in many different places: in bed, on a boat floating down the Mekong River, at the top of a mountain, but most often sitting in a comfortable chair in my sitting room, but always with pen and paper.
7. Have you ever considered writing other genres?
Yes. I’ve written essays and academic articles because I used to teach in a university, but these were not poetry or fiction – or at least not intentionally! I have started two novels, one in prose and one in verse, but they remain unfinished. Maybe I’ll find the time and inclination to complete them one day. I’m quite tempted by writing some short stories or a novella. In effect though, my calling seems to be poetry.
8. After the release of Papiliones, what’s next on your agenda?
I’m already planning another poetry collection, this time featuring poems about people and places rather than about butterflies. I think it will turn out to be a very different kind of book, but I still like the idea of mixing poems, prose and illustrations, so it could be quite unusual. I also plan to prepare in due course a further enlarged edition of Papiliones because there are still another twenty-five or so butterflies I’d like to write about.
9. What two things would you say to help aspiring writers?
There are many more than two things that I could say, but if I’m only allowed two then my own experience would suggest, first of all: “Don’t give up – keep going against the odds.” Secondly, “By all means listen to criticism and learn from it, but don’t be frightened to stick to your guns if you’re really convinced that what you write and the way you write it is how you really want it.” In other words, keep on writing and don’t be bullied by well-meaning know-alls or by passing fashion.
My thoughts…
I had a sneak preview of the book and thoroughly enjoyed not only the poetry but the beautiful photography.
Each poem was accompanied by a little titbit of information about each butterfly which was a lovely touch and thoroughly thought out.
My favourite poem was Comma – a butterfly, leaf like in appearance with a small white C. The poem itself about punctuation, a matter I’m regularly reminded of as a writer – and something I don’t always get right!
COMMA
A natural pause;
I break my step to read
a leafy punctuation of my daydream –
live but impossible;here is foliage escaping
in quotation marks;the sentence for
this wordless being
for contravening
nature’s grammar
is never to come to a stop,
Papiliones by Jonathan Bradley is available from all good bookshops including online at Amazon, The Book Depository, Waterstones and others. ISBN: 9781911589211 RRP: £15.95
A lovely gift for any poetry, or butterfly lover this forthcoming festive season.
Jonathan is also on Twitter and Facebook.
Thank you Jonathan, for your time and for this beautiful book which I’m sure many will enjoy for years to come.
Peace out!
Jangles x
