The iconoclastic, bawdy and slightly insane
poetical protestations of Dave Etchell.
From the Preface:
This book is pure self indulgence! It contains iconoclastic, bawdy and slightly insane outpourings, resulting from my whimsical and wild sense of humour, and somewhat anarchic world view. Those who have read my earlier books may have the impression of a poet who writes in a lofty, lyrical and classical style. This work will probably totally ruin that reputation. The preface is unusually long. I thought that if I filled some pages with my ramblings, it would give my readers some idea of where I was coming from.
Younger people may not ‘get’ the title. It is taken from the comment made by the fabulously out of touch lawyer, Mervyn Griffith-Jones, who, when appearing for the prosecution at the ‘Lady Chatterly’s Lover’ trial at the Old Bailey in 1960, asked the jury: “is this a book that you would even wish your wife and servants to read?”
Many of the poems are based on comments made by some of my less salubrious acquaintances, or on actual events. Others, such as “Maldwyn” or “Carolyn Cunnyngham-Clay” poems are totally fictitious. I make this clear just in case there are actually elderly virginal Welshmen, or lady vicars of these names. This comment also applies to all those other poems that contain named characters.
A sprinkling of the poems are in serious vein ‑ protest songs against some of the various episodes of man’s inhumanity to man. If you think of the book as a sort of cross between the very earthy poems of the Earl of Rochester, those of Spike Milligan, and with a sprinkling of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl you will not be very far off the mark in categorising this volume.
BUY THE BOOK
Not to be read by your Wife and Servants is available from all good bookstores around the world. You may need the ISBN 9780956083845. It is in paperback and has 134 pages. Price £5.99/$9.99.
Or you can order from Amazon using these links:
Buy Not to be Read by Your Wife and Servants from Amazon.co.uk
Buy Not to be Read by Your Wife and Servants from Amazon.com
