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Essay One: Newfoundlands

A new series of essays by the very popular Fiona Stafford, Professor of Literature at Somerville College, Oxford, following her much praised series of essays The Meaning of Trees and The Meaning of Flowers, Fiona explores famous composers and their devotion to certain dog breeds.

Through surprising and insightful stories and discoveries about both the composers and their dogs, the essays provide new insights into the type of people the composers were, their lives and the features of their chosen dog breeds that brought such devotion.

Composer Richard Wagner loved this huge, gentle, shaggy Canadian dog breed, having many in his lifetime. The essay includes the rollercoaster tale of Wagner’s daring escape across international borders, dragging his massive Newfoundland, Robber, with him. On arrival in Paris, Robber became a bigger celebrity than Wagner before fame finally came to the composer. The journey inspired Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. Lord Byron was devoted to his Newfoundlands. His first, Boatswain, resulted in portraits, an elegy and a grand tomb and his last Newfoundland probably caused Byron’s death. Newfoundlands have webbed feet, are great swimmers and have rescued many people from drowning; still being used today by sea rescue services, these fearless dogs leap from helicopters into the water to rescue people.

Producer – Turan Ali
A Bona Broadcasting production for Â鶹Éç Radio 3