A Hospital Odyssey
(Author) Gwyneth LewisA Hospital Odyssey is an outrageously imaginative voyage through illness and healing. Drawing on the most recent biomedical research into stem cells and cancer, the poem is a journey through the body's inner space and the strange habitats created by disease, including the chimeras people see when they're unwell. Maris, whose husband, Hardy, has been diagnosed with cancer, is separated from him. Her mythical journey leads though a surreal landscape, peopled by true and false physicians, god-celebrities, rabid statues, diseases hunting healthy bodies and a microbes holding their annual ball. The Otherworld is located in the hospital's basement. In her desperate search Maris meets and converses with Aneurin Bevan, founder of the NHS. Immensely readable, "A Hospital Odyssey" is a modern epic: "Dr Who" meets "Paradise Lost". The poem asks: what is health? And what does it mean to care for someone who's ill? Gwyneth Lewis's dramatisation of A Hospital Odyssey was broadcast as Radio 4's Afternoon Drama on 26 June 2014.
Gwyneth Lewis
Gwyneth Lewis is a Welsh poet and writer known for her innovative style and use of Welsh language in her works. She is best known for her poem "Welsh Espionage," which won the prestigious Forward Prize for Best Single Poem in 2001. Lewis has made significant contributions to Welsh literature, blending traditional Welsh poetic forms with contemporary themes and language. Her works often explore themes of identity, language, and the human experience. Lewis' unique voice and lyrical style have made her a prominent figure in the world of Welsh literature.
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