Negating the "conspiracy theorist" label

[Peter Presland]

Thanks Charles

I'm impressed with the Francis Thompson Quote too. Another aficionado perhaps?

Don't misunderstand me though. He was a devout catholic whereas I regard much of the ritual surrounding religious practice as mumbo-jumbo in the same category as the invocations of the tribal witchdoctor. In other words I am very far from a 'true believer', let alone a practitioner, in any of the Great Faiths or Denominations - in the accepted sense of the words anyway.

But I have to say that Francis Thompson has been and remains one of the formative influences of my life and I regard his 'Hound of Heaven' as one of the greatest odes of the English language, right up there alongside Shakespeare. I can still recite the whole thing from memory - and occasionally do. Similarly with most of his poems on children, especially 'Daisy' and The Poppy'; anyone who can read and absorb either without getting at least the hint of a tear in the eye is .... well shall we just say not somebody I would likely get on with too well for long. I find it strange that he is so little known, with practically nothing he wrote available in the current book catalogue - other than anthologies of course.

Sorry for veering off-topic but a reply seemed the appropriate place to mention it.