Bernard Kops - A Life in Poetry and Prose

Bernard Kops
Bernard Kops

Tuesday 26 May 2015 provided a rare opportunity to meet Bernard Kops, one of the great post-war Jewish playwrights, poets and novelists, at The Bakehouse.

He read his poems and from his acclaimed biography ‘The World is a Wedding’, and was in conversation with poet and director Chrys Salt MBE who has directed some of his plays for the London stage.

Just a few of the comments from our audience. Thanks to The Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival for their support.

'What a treasure was Bernard!'

'I really enjoyed last night and was very sad to leave at the interval (he had me in tears with the Ann Frank)'

'Thank you very much for the opportunity to hear Bernard Kops yesterday evening. It was a great privilege to meet him and to be able to tell him how much I enjoyed "The Dissent of Dominic Shapiro", both in my youth and subsequently.
His talk was fascinating - and humorous. I loved his line about babies asleep with their arms raised:
"Why are they surrendering when they have already captured us?"

'Thanks for the Bernard Kops evening which we have talked about continuously. It was a really super event, full of memories of a wonderful wordsmith......absolutely loved it ! What a coup to get him to Gatehouse' .

.'...that was so good. Bernard really inhabits his work. Brilliant, so emotionally alive and Erica - the way they are a part of each other. We were all spellbound as we travelled from Holland to Hamlet'

Here he is reading his poem "Two Tall Ladies"