Book description
As more and more secular funerals are taking place, there is a need for
appropriate texts. The Poet Laureate spoke recently of the importance of
'epitaphs' for people: poems or songs which commemorate their lives.
Actress Julia Watson, married to the poet David Harsent, was confronted
with the issue when her father died, and the result is this inspiring
collection of 70 poems and prose extracts suitable for reading at
funerals and celebrations of a life. The selections range from
Shakespeare to Chief Tecumseh of the Shawnee Nation, from Christina
Rossetti to St Francis of Assissi, and included are some very short
pieces which could be printed on an order of service. Julia Watson was
born in south Wales, and read English and Drama at Exeter University.
She plays Dr Baz in Casualty, a series she has worked in since the
beginning. She is married to the poet David Harsent, and they live with
their daughter in Barnes, south-west London.
