Celebrating the life and work of Gerard Manley Hopkins

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Two days of activities are planned this month to celebrate the life of prominent Jesuit priest and poet Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889). This year, for the first time, they will take place at the manor house in Roehampton, London, where he carried out part of his training for the priesthood.

In the 19th century Roehampton was a village in Surrey where the Jesuits had a seminary at Manresa House. Hopkins twice studied at Manresa House, for his novitiate and his tertianship and later taught rhetoric there for a year and it is in this building that the celebratory events will take place. The building subsequently became known as Parkstead House and is now part of the University of Roehampton. A blue plaque there bears his name and pays tribute to his contribution to poetry.

https://ursecure.roehampton.ac.uk/news-docs/Brief-History-Parkstead-to-Manresa.pdf

On Thursday 21 April the University and the Hopkins Society will present the annual Hopkins Lecture, to be given by renowned poet and 2014 TS Eliot prize winner David Harsent, who is professor of Creative Writing at the University. Professor Harsent, who has been selected as a judge for the 2016 Man Booker Prize, will speak about 'the raw truth of poetry'. The lecture is due to take place at 5.30pm on Thursday 21 April. The lecture is free, but booking is required.

www.roehampton.ac.uk/hopkins

A day later the society will host more events, including an assessment of Hopkins' work and writing, by Fr Noel Barber, Assistant to the Superior of Jesuits in Ireland, and co-editor of a volume of the Complete Works of Hopkins. In addition, a review of Hopkins' literary position in London by poetry performer Lance Pierson, a member of the society, will also take place.

See details on the Hopkins website at: www.hopkinssociety.co.uk/forthcoming-events.html

For further information, please contact Peter Le Riche at the University of Roehampton.

Email: lpperformer@googlemail.com