Former Poet Laureate to stop off in Malmesbury for carnival (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Former Poet Laureate to stop off in Malmesbury for carnival

12:20pm Thursday 26th April 2012 in North Wilts news By Tina Robins

FORMER Poet Laureate Andrew Motion is taking part in this year’s Malmesbury Carnival.

The author, who has just published a sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, agreed to be part of the programme after he was approached by mayor Steve Cox.

He saw Sir Andrew giving a poetry reading in Avening recently, realised the tour was going to be in Marlborough on July 31 so decided to inquire if he fancied dropping in at Malmesbury the day before.

To Steve’s delight Sir Andrew, who was Poet Laureat for 10 years until 2009, agreed.

“It is something I have wanted to do for carnival,” he explained. “To have a mix of high profile names and local speakers.

“He is very appealing and very easy to listen to. I don’t think we read or listen to poetry enough.”

The evening, which has been sponsored by Malmesbury School, will examine the new book “Silver Return to Treasure Island,” which takes the famous story of piracy and treachery to the next generation in the shape of Jim Hawkins’ son.

“We wouldn’t have been able to run it without the help from the school,” added Steve.

Knighted three years ago for services to literature, the poet is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and chairman of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

He wrote a Whitbread prize winning biography of fellow English poet Philip Larkin.

Silver is his second work of fiction. The Invention of Dr Cake was published back in 2003.