THE RENDEZVOUS Artists’ Notes “This was reportedly President John F. Kennedy’s favourite American poem. We do not believe it is a uniquely American story, however, as it captures the thoughts and actions of many other unsung heroes. “The author (the American poet Alan Seeger) was so moved by the cause of the war and the defence of liberty that he joined the French Foreign Legion rather than await the USA’s conscription. “He wrote this beautiful poem weeks before he walked into his own death, as so eloquently predicted in the stanzas of his text. He really seemed to know that death was inevitable, which makes him incredibly brave in our eyes.” Poem used: ‘I Have a Rendezvous with Death’ by Alan Seeger. The score was composed by Marc Canham. It is narrated by the Canadian actor and trombone player, Ashley Slater – who released the number one single ‘Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out’ with Marc’s former record label Island Records in 1993. Marc comments: “I always remember how much I loved his mellifluous speaking voice.” About the poet: Alan Seeger (1888-1916) was an American poet who fought and died in World War One during the Battle of the Somme. Sometimes known as the ‘American Rupert Brooke’, he was a classmate of T.S. Eliot at Harvard and was honoured posthumously with a statue in the Place des États-Unis in Paris on a monument for fallen Americans who volunteered for France during the war.
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