I have been asked why and how I have written an epic trilogy, the last volume of which is expected to be finished by the

By 1990, as well as teaching, directing, and acting, I was deeply involved in the creation of the play The Eagle and the Tiger, which

Even as I could begin to write The Eagle and the Tiger, another incident suddenly began a new twist in what I was doing.  In

Of course, all the time I had been working on the play and the musical I had been continuing to teach, act, and direct.  It

Reading The Fairie Queene turned out to be an adventure and enjoyment.  I was at last mature enough to appreciate the artistry of the poetry

For me, creation of a work starts by asking a question that has arisen from what I have observed. Study of Ibsen’s work and his

As with Ibsen, Spenser provoked in his fundamental contradiction my closer look at the elements of the human condition, and a series of themes emerged. 

I had now reached a point when I had to decide on the form in which these huge themes should be explored. The first clue

What form, then, could contain the scope of these ideas? The epic poem came into mind. I thought about the great epics of the past. 

So far it would seem that the process was logical and step by step.  But of course, it wasn’t. It took several years of thrashing

The epic form had been chosen because the themes that emerged from the insight into Spenser’s attitudes were deep enough to require sufficient scope. The

What now? Research.  Lots and lots of research.  For Odysseus, not only the myths associated with him but the nature of Greece three thousand years

And that start also applied to the other two journeys. Spenser’s was particularly interesting.  What we know about him is very little, forcing biographers to

And the same applies to the third story—that of Ray Archer.  Whereas the first two dealt with a mythical figure and an historical figure, this

It is not a full effort to research a project, regardless of time.  It is a greater effort to find the structure.  But the ultimate

As a director and actor, I had no problem after initial research imagining character and situation in the context of where they are and in

For example, here is an example from Archer of what he imagined at the site of the Battle of Batoche as shown through the form

Another example from Archer shows   a poem based on a strikers’ song in 1932 during the Winnipeg Riot: On the Trek   In ’32 the

It is a strange feeling to create characters and scenes and find that they take on their own life, live in your mind.  I can

Well, the first thing was to accept that it would take years.  And the second thing was to work out a rough timetable.  My goal

But despite outlines and timetables, the epic developed its own life.  For example, new characters whom I had not anticipated suddenly appeared.  In the siege

And the process has continued.  As the incidents grew, evolved, changed, the meanings they suggested also became clearer to me.  One of the first most

There are many phases to the creation of a large work—or, for that matter, of any serious work:  the shock of revelation that provokes the

So the grinding work began.  Douglas Campbell carefully checked spelling and grammatical errors while Carolyn started on the substantive editing.  I went through line by

That first draft took the form of a manuscript in which the three stories were arranged to be followed simultaneously:  Canto One of the first

So the grinding work began.  Douglas Campbell carefully checked spelling and grammatical errors while Carolyn started on the substantive editing.  I went through line by

The final stage, once a publisher has been found, is the transformation of the manuscript into the copy ready to be printed. In the case

But this is not the end of the story. By the time you read this, there will be an eBook version of Books One and

Many apologies for those of you who have wanted to hear from me over the past few months.  The fact is, I have been immersed

How all occasions do inform against us!  Well, not necessarily.  Serendipity can also come into play.  Such a happy accident happened to me just over

From ROB MCLENNAN’S BLOG Original post Saturday, July 21, 2018   12 or 20 (second series) questions with Carl Hare Carl Hare has written poems and

To Selma’s cry for an answer, Brack dismisses the idea of woman as artist, and the arguments rage on about the nature of woman and

In the last blog I told you that the festive season had reminded me of a soiree that Ibsen and his wife Suzannah gave in

Author and playwright, Carl Hare delves into the birth of an epic trilogy.

I never managed to write a blog for International Women’s Day.  But thinking about that day triggers memories of a soiree I created in The

A paradox, this day of love’s exchange, Its past reeking of martyrdom and death, Pagan and Christian eros in one breath Commingling, emotions loosed to

The last time we heard Falk’s poem to Selma.  Brack praises him; Selma says she is flattered and thanks him.  But conversation now centres on

What appears here is a series of emails that began with Professor Roberts’ first introducing himself to me.  I have edited them for view here,