I do not think that they will sing to me.
In this episode of the Free and Direct Podcast, we are joined by repeat guest Brian Heston and our very own Associate Poetry Editor Alexandra Romero, to break down T. S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Alex and Brian lead us through a close reading of Prufrock, among the most significant poems of the 20th century, and a cornerstone of Modernist literature. We also get into Eliot’s life and times, along with a consideration of his legacy—and that of Prufrock—into contemporary poetry.
At Indirect Books we’ve recently opened our first poetry contest, the 2026 J. Alfred Prufrock Prize, which occasioned this episode. Alex talks about what she finds in Eliot’s work that inspires this contest, and what we’re looking for in submissions. At one point Brian discusses the myth of “the existential peasant.” It’s a great episode.
I hope you enjoy this meeting of the Cordelivres Criticism Club, and in the meantime—stay critical.
Merci !
