top of page

Charlie Haylock’s new venture: reciting works of literature in a Suffolk accent 

  • Jul 4
  • 2 min read

Many of you will have heard dialect and language expert Charlie Haylock’s wonderful one-man shows; he treated SBL to a memorable talk just before his retirement. Charlie has, since then, ventured out into other projects and has been commissioned by Ashley Cooper to recite classical works of literature in a regional Suffolk accent. These include Shakespeare, Keats, Byron and some humorous ones including Edward Lear and T. S. Eliot. These are now available on YouTube with illustrations. 


See below for some links. 


Charlie is happy for people to forward these very special pieces to others.


Charlie Haylock writes:

‘I could not refuse such an opportunity. Before Standard English started to evolve during the late 1700s early 1800s, works like Shakespeare, Marlowe, Nashe, Dyer and the like, were recited in the various accents throughout the land. Therefore, for me, reciting great works of literature in a Suffolk accent was a ‘must-do’. I thank Ashley Cooper for giving me that opportunity.’ 


Ashley Cooper: ‘Listening to Charlie Haylock’s superb talks, prompted a question in my mind. How might some of the greatest poems in the English language have sounded when recited in a Suffolk accent in local schools, village halls, local pubs or around the fireside, on the long winter evenings, before radio or television were invented? Could Charlie be persuaded to record them I wondered.’


Classic Poems in Suffolk - Part 1  https://youtu.be/wSw4PwfzR10

Classic Poems in Suffolk - Part 2  https://youtu.be/II3LnE0vy_s

Classic Poems in Suffolk - Part 3  https://youtu.be/wBdwZf2VDzU


Just as we were about to publish this issue of BookTalk Charlie sent a follow up with some new links.


He writes:

‘This time reciting the poetry of Elizabeth Davey . . . Suffolk born and bred, 1919 to 2019 and a true countryside girl (not a townie). She led a very full life indeed after leaving school at 14yrs. Towards the end of her life she started writing poetry . . . about love, grief, sorrow, joy and other deep feelings. She also wrote about the seasons and nature and she had a sense of humour as you will see . . . 


‘Her poems cover all the feelings one has during their lifetime including humour. She can paint a picture with words that the readers will readily understand, (without having to have an English Lit. teacher to explain or interpret). Some are raw with deep feeling and others are lighthearted humour. A complete range . . . I hope you enjoy them.’


We used the same format as before plus photos taken by Ashley Cooper. 


Here are the links:


Part Four     https://youtu.be/OguHOyRdQJc



Comments

bottom of page