Alice Oswald on poetry, her new book Rhapsody

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, September 27, 2026

Devon-based poet Alice Oswald has published her first nonfiction book, *Rhapsody: A Manifesto*, which traces the history of poetry from ancient oral traditions to modern forms like hip-hop. Drawing on her experience as Oxford Professor of Poetry, Oswald challenges traditional literary views by emphasizing poetry’s communal, ecological, and oral roots over individual expression.

Alice Oswald, a 60-year-old poet based in Devon, has released a new nonfiction work titled *Rhapsody: A Manifesto*. Oswald, renowned for her poetry collections such as *Dart* (2002) and *Memorial* (2011)—a retelling of Homer’s *Iliad*—has received several of the United Kingdom’s top poetry honors, including the TS Eliot Prize, the Forward Poetry Prize, and the Costa Poetry Award. *Rhapsody* marks her first nonfiction publication, tracing the origins and evolution of poetry from oral traditions like Homeric epics to contemporary forms such as hip-hop and graffiti.

The book developed from Oswald’s tenure as Oxford Professor of Poetry between 2019 and 2023, during which she delivered lectures exploring the nature of oral literature. She described these lectures as moments within a lifelong engagement with Homer and oral poetics, aiming to communicate the distinct metaphysical qualities of oral literature to an audience steeped in literary tradition. Oswald said she sought to challenge and "unlearn what you’ve learned" about poetry, moving beyond conventional literary frameworks.

Oswald’s personal history as a gardener and mother influenced her approach to writing and teaching poetry. She explained that her time at Oxford pushed her to translate her embodied experiences into what she referred to as “Oxford language,” but *Rhapsody* represents a return to a language more attuned to direct experience and interaction with the natural world. She characterizes herself as a “hearsayer” or “an interviewer with no notebook,” emphasizing the importance of listening and oral transmission over written authority.

Rejecting the notion of poetry as a vehicle for fixed opinion, Oswald advocates a philosophy centered on avoiding solitude and solipsism by focusing on other people, plants, and animals. Her interest lies in epic poetry, which she contrasts with lyric poetry’s emphasis on singular personal expression. While she appreciates lyric poetry’s intensity, Oswald contends that epic poetry offers a more communal and democratic perspective by integrating multiple voices and experiences, thereby revealing a fuller human spectrum beyond individual emotion.

Addressing recent popular adaptations of Homer’s *Odyssey*, Oswald expressed reservations about the depiction of epic poetry through blockbuster cinematic aesthetics, such as those in Christopher Nolan’s *Odysee*. She emphasized the poem’s democratic and ecological qualities, noting its equal importance of every line and phrase and its focus on the natural world rather than heroism or nationalism. Oswald challenged more sedentary interpretations of Homer, highlighting the poem’s oral, incantatory rhythm and its portrayal of human vulnerability.

Among contemporary poets, Oswald cited Lebanese poet Wadih Sa’adeh and Palestinian journalist and poet Batool Abu Akleen as significant influences, noting the vibrant energy in Arabic-language poetry today.

*Rhapsody: A Manifesto* is published by Jonathan Cape and is available for £20.

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