FIRST BROADCAST: 17th March 2024, BBC Radio 4

Link to programme webpage. Available to listen back March/April 2024.

In 1941, Jamaican poet Ferdinand Levy was a medical student in Dublin when he published his poetry collection Flashes from the Dark (Three Candles Press). Despite favourable reviews, Levy’s book and name vanished from Irish literary posterity. In this programme, Jamaican poet Jason Allen-Paisant tells the story of Levy and asks why his poetry has been overlooked for 80 years.

Photos:

(top) Ferdinand Levy at his home in Jamaica. Portrait of him by Louis de Brocquy on wall. Photo courtesy of Belinda levy.

(bottom) Jason Allen-Paisant on Killiney Beach in Dublin.