Last night, at Vancouver 2010, Sidney Crosby - now arguably the most important Canadian hockey player of all time, after, or even including, Wayne Gretzky - won the gold for Canada, in OT, in what could be claimed to be the most exciting and widely-watched hockey game of all time. Canada claims ice hockey as its own - though in truth, Americans and Russians have also dominated the sport over the years. But hockey's heart resides in Montreal, Toronto, and all points east and west. Canada's games have ended, but not without a bit of wry Canuck humour to water down the nationalism - Michael J Fox, William Shatner, and others added lustre, pathos and good cheer to a closing ceremonies that showed that what begins in tragedy, can end in comedy. I wish Great Britain and London all the best in their hosting of the summer games in 2012.
THAT HANDSOME MAN A PERSONAL BRIEF REVIEW BY TODD SWIFT I could lie and claim Larkin, Yeats , or Dylan Thomas most excited me as a young poet, or even Pound or FT Prince - but the truth be told, it was Thom Gunn I first and most loved when I was young. Precisely, I fell in love with his first two collections, written under a formalist, Elizabethan ( Fulke Greville mainly), Yvor Winters triad of influences - uniquely fused with an interest in homerotica, pop culture ( Brando, Elvis , motorcycles). His best poem 'On The Move' is oddly presented here without the quote that began it usually - Man, you gotta go - which I loved. Gunn was - and remains - so thrilling, to me at least, because so odd. His elegance, poise, and intelligence is all about display, about surface - but the surface of a panther, who ripples with strength beneath the skin. With Gunn, you dressed to have sex. Or so I thought. Because I was queer (I maintain the right to lay claim to that
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