You may not have heard of Tony Harrison, but the poet is highly thought of in literary circles. Much of his work is steeped in the classical world of Greece and Rome, but 40 years ago he wrote a poem about Beeston that put him on the front pages of the tabloids.
He was moved to write V following a visit to his family plot in Holbeck Cemetery in May 1984. Many of the gravestones and memorials were daubed with graffiti, generally obscene four-letter words, and it was his repetition of these words in the poem that caused such a fuss.
V is about four-letter words, but it’s about so much more too. For Harrison, the graffiti reminds him of 1945 when along with other young people in the country he was encouraged to daub paint on walls – a V for victory as the war ended.
V might also stand for versus, he puts the graffiti and discarded drinks cans down to disgruntled football supporters making their way home from Elland Road. And also the struggle of the miners strike, his dad had told him there was a worked out pit under the cemetery which is why the grave stones fall over.
He wonders how important poetry is as a profession compared to his forefathers’ trades of butcher, baker and publican. So perhaps V stands for verse. Harrison was born in Beeston and went to Leeds Grammar School and Leeds University. His studies and career took him away from his roots and that internal struggle is also echoed in the poem.
V is a very interesting poem and well worth a read. You can also find the Channel 4 film, which includes a reading of the poem on YouTube.
I was lucky enough to meet Tony Harrison in 2013 when he visited Beeston Festival. He was appearing at an event in the city and we invited him to show another side of Beeston from the depressing scene he’d witnessed in 1984. He assured us that he held nothing against his birthplace and had many fond memories of growing up here.
Harrison is back in Beeston, or at least his likeness is which has appeared on a gable end wall in the Marleys thanks to nationally-acclaimed street artist Stewy. Stewy commented:
“It’s great to be back in Leeds. I’m drawn to creating small intimate works like this, without fuss, showing love for people like Tony H. And especially art like this, hidden in communities, away from the shiny city centre, where people have to search it out. I hope people like it.”
The Beeston mural was delivered in partnership with the South Leeds Street Art Collective, a fast-growing new project co-led by Cllr Ed Carlisle, BasementArtsProject, and a number of local artists.
Photo: Artist Stewy with his stencilled portrait of Tony Harrison
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