The People's Poet - Arthur Berry (1925-1994)

Well, in Stoke on Trent at least! On 13th June, nine members of City Voices went to the S O T Literary Festival for a talk and film show presented by by  Catherine Burgass and Ray Johnson MBE, all about local poet Arthur Berry. ( It should have been ten in total, but sadly our chairman Alan was unable to attend and was "gutted" to miss this.) Alan often says that Arthur Berry is a bit like Marmite, so I went to see whether he was to my taste. As it happens, I love Marmite, and I really liked Arthur Berry who was quite new to me. AB was from a very working class background, and never forgot his roots. A teacher spotted (his) drawing talent, and Arthur went on to Burslem School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He made his living by teaching and lecturing, and went on to become a poet, painter, and playwright – a fascinating figure who deserves to be more widely known.  The multi-media archive drawn on by Catherine and Ray provided insights into Arthur Berry's work; his paintings have been compared to Brecht. Arthur's last play "St George of Scotia Road" opened the New Vic's first season, and his paintings can be seen in Barewall Gallery in Burslem. Arthur had many problems, including agrophobia, which may be one reason why he is little known outside of the Potteries. Nevertheless, his Lament to the Lost Pubs of Burslem was acclaimed as a literary masterpiece not unlike Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood. His gritty work drew appreciative laughter from the audience at the festival, but there was a definite dark side to Arthur, who was said to have a love/hate relationship with his own art. To say he was eloquent is an understatement; when he was in full flow, anyone listening (to him) must have felt like they were standing under the flight path of Concorde! Arthur's book of poetry "Dandelions" has just been re-issued at £10. This is my copy in the photograph, and I can recommend it - although not to the faint-hearted!   

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