The Poetry of W.H. Auden

An evening of extraordinary poetry where over one hour at The British Library renowned actors brought the work of W.H. Auden to life.

W. H. Auden (1907–1973) was an Anglo-American poet known for his technically brilliant, wide-ranging poetry that explored themes of love, politics, morality, and the human condition with wit, psychological insight, and a modern, conversational voice.

Readers were as follows:

Derek Jacobi aspired to be an actor from the age of six. At eighteen he played Hamlet at the Edinburgh Festival, then again at Cambridge before several more times including performances at Elsinore Castle. His performance of Edward 11 at Cambridge led to an invitation to join Birmingham Rep where he played Ferdinand in The Tempest, then Henry VIII and A Man For All Seasons. In 1963 he played in Shaw’s St Joan for Olivier at Chichester before becoming Artistic Director in 1994 and playing Uncle Vanya, Love For Love and Hadrian VIII. He joined Olivier again at the National Theatre playing leading roles including Cassius in Othello, also filmed.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw is an award-winning actor of the stage and screen. She is known for her breakout role in the period drama BELLE (2013), and subsequent film roles including: LARRY CROWNE (2011), BEYOND THE LIGHTS (2014), CONCUSSION (2015), MISS SLOANE (2016), BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017), A WRINKLE IN TIME (2018), CLOVERFIELD PARADOX (2018), MISBEHAVIOUR (2020), SUMMERLAND (2020) and LIFT (2023).

Tim McInnerny’s stage work varies from ‘Pravda’ and ‘Scenes From An Execution’ at The National Theatre to ‘What The Butler Saw’ in The West End. His television work ranges from ‘Blackadder’ to dramas such as ‘The Serpent’, ‘The Line Of Beauty’, and most recently ‘One Day’. His many films include ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Peterloo’ and the much anticipated ‘Gladiator 2’.