People haven't got the interest in long long works these days. A lack of interest which I share.

But you'd have a job to find many of my poems which would seem to be very influenced by a particular person.

All those authors there, most of whom of course I've never met. That's the poetry side, that's the prose side, that's the fishing and miscellaneous behind me. You get an affection for books that you've enjoyed.

All I write about is what's happened to me and to people I know, and the better I know them, the more likely they are to be written about.

And the second question, can poetry be taught? I didn't think so.

I don't think of myself all the time.

Well, I love fishing. I wouldn't kill a fly myself but I've no hesitation in killing a fish. A lot of men are like that. No bother. Out you come. Thump. And that's not the only reason.