West and Geldof clash over Byron and Yeats at poetry festival
Actor Dominic West backed Lord Byron as his favourite poet during a poetry battle with musician Bob Geldof at Somerset’s Big Brue festival. West praised Byron’s notorious sex life and “proto-rock star” image, while arguing that rappers continue poetry’s modern tradition and that AI cannot replicate human emotional depth.
Geldof championed WB Yeats, whom he called Ireland’s equivalent of Shakespeare and the world’s greatest poet. The discussion contrasted Byron’s Romantic works, including She Walks in Beauty and Don Juan, with Yeats’s influential writing on love, politics and Irish identity, as well as his role in establishing cultural institutions.
- Dominic West chose Byron for his poetry and rebellious reputation.
- Bob Geldof argued Yeats was the greater poet.
- Both discussed poetry’s continuing relevance in the age of AI.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Dominic West backs ‘top shagger’ Byron in poetry battle with Bob Geldof”.