Friday 17 April 2020

Back Room 33: Dilys Rose




I'm delighted to host Dilys Rose in the back room today, a fantastic poet and short story writer. What a wealth of excellence we have in our poets! Dilys Rose was born in Glasgow in 1954 and took a degree at Edinburgh University. She is the author of four collections of short stories: Our Lady of the Pickpockets (1989); Red Tides (1993); War Dolls (1998); and Lord of Illusions and also published four collections of poetry: Madame Doubtfire's Dilemma (1989); Lure (2003); When I Wear My Leopard Hat (1997); and Bodywork (2007).

Her poetry, in English and Scots, shows great range and imagination and often uses stories from history and literature to make very contemporary points about humanity.

We have all been worshipping the Goddess Hygeiea over the last few weeks and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future in our constant fight against the Nosoi, the Spirits of Disease. She is the goddess of good health, daughter of the medicine-god Asklepios, and a companion of the goddess Aphrodite. Her sisters included Panakeia and Iaso, the goddesses of remedy and cure. Dily's poem here is about Hygeiea:

The poem is taken from a new pamphlet, 'Stone the Crows'
, due soon from Mariscat Press. It was commissioned for an illustrated book on rooftop statuary in Edinburgh and Hygieia, Greek goddess of Health, stands on the portico of the Royal College of Physicians.

Dilys Rose's website here:

https://dilysrose.com/

And her SPL profile and seven more poems here:

https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poet/dilys-rose/

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