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Lee Harwood

"Chanson Tzara" with Lee Harwood by Alexander Baker, 2012


In the early 60’s the poet Lee Harwood heard for the first time, in a London cafe, a poem by Tristan Tzara. An “immediate convert” to Dada, Lee tracked down a few of Tzara’s then difficult to find poems and translated them; he eventually also tracked down Tzara himself and met him in Paris. ‘Chanson Tzara’ is a sound work created around that encounter.

  • Text, translations and narration: Lee Harwood
  • Sound and realisation: Alexander Baker

    • Complete Reading (27:17): MP3

    Reading at the Shearsman Reading Series at Swedenborg Hall, London, June 17, 2008

    Complete Reading (27:25): MP3
    introduced by Tony Frazer
    This recording is made available through Itinerant Records & Philip Kuhn.

    Rockdrill 3

    • The Chart Table, Lee Harwood: Poems 1965-2002.
    • Rockdrill CD #3
    • Published by the Contemporary Poetics Research Centre, Optic Nerve for Birkbeck College, 2004.
    • Produced by Colin Still. Used with the permission of Colin Still.
    1. As Your Eyes Are Blue (3:47): MP3
    2. The Doomed Fleet (8:13): MP3
    3. Question of Geography (2:17): MP3
    4. Linen (1:52): MP3
    5. The Words (2:25): MP3
    6. Animal Days (5:55): MP3
    7. Qasida (3:49): MP3
    8. One, Two, Three (4:12): MP3
    9. You Essai. You O.K. (8:42): MP3
    10. Summer Solstice (3:12): MP3
    11. African Violets (5:37): MP3
    12. The Rowan Tree (4:32): MP3
    13. For Paul / Coming Out of Winter (1:28): MP3
    14. October Night (3:01): MP3
    15. Czech Dream (4:39): MP3
    16. Gorgeous (1:28): MP3
    17. Late Journeys (1:13): MP3
    18. The Wind Rises (4:32): MP3
    19. Salt Water (3:58): MP3
    20. Hampton Court Shelter (2:46): MP3

    Lee Harwood and Ange Mlinko reading, St. Mark’s Church, NY, December 9, 1998

    Recorded on audiocassette. Recording hosted by the Library of Congress.

    1. Side A (49:31): link
    2. Side B (48:18): link

    Lee Hardwood on PennSound Daily:

    Lee Harwood at The Village Voice, March 29, 1985

    Recorded on audiocassette. Featured in the Joris and Peyrafitte tape collection.

    Complete Recording (49:54): MP3

    Poetry reading, date and location unknown

    Recorded on audiocassette. Featured in the Joris and Peyrafitte tape collection.

    • Side A: The Long Black Veil (from HMS Little Fox, 1975)(36:24): MP3
      • (audio quality deteriorates as tape continues, audio cuts out early)
    • Side B: Old Bosham Bird Watch, 1977 (26:00): MP3

    These sound recordings are being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights to this recorded material belong to the author. © 2012 Lee Harwood. Used with permission of Lee Harwood. Distributed by PennSound.