Last Lent, Grace Hamman invited four T. S. Eliot scholars and enthusiasts to her podcast, Old Books with Grace, for four conversations about each of the four parts of T. S. Eliot’s poetic masterpiece Four Quartets.
As we said in another post on Four Quartets, Eliot’s work can be opaque and inscrutable. He lapses into other languages without translation. He changes scene and tone without transition. He alludes to other works constantly without attribution. His poems need footnotes—which he sometimes supplies and sometimes doesn’t. Four Quartets is a labyrinth, and sometimes when you enter the labyrinth, you get lost.
Despite that, it also might be one of the greatest Christian poems ever written.
Though there is joy in wandering on your own through the beautiful labyrinth of the Four Quartets, if you bring along a guide in your initial forays into this masterpiece, you may save yourself discomfort and confusion. These four podcast episodes offer thoughts from such guides.
Whether you are new to Eliot’s work or he is an old friend, we hope these conversations bring you both joy and insight.
The Episode on Burnt Norton (with Paul Pastor)
The Episode on East Coker (with Alan Noble)
The Episode on Burnt Norton (with Andy Patton)
The Episode on Burnt Norton (with Lisa Ampleman)
Hear more from Grace on her podcast Old Books with Grace or pick up her new book, Ask of Old Paths: Medieval Virtues and Vices for a Whole and Holy Life.
Catch more from these podcast guests on their Substacks and sites:
Thank you for sharing these! I've been getting to know these poems over the last year or two and listening to these podcasts (and the other Andy Patton lecture) has really shed light on things. I've subscribed to Grace Hamman's podcast now.
Oh, hurrah! I've been haunted by the thought that I really should read these quartets and also by the sheer intimidation factor that they carry, so these will be excellent. Thank you for sharing!