THE VIRTUOSO BY GRAHAM SWIFT: THE MAGIC OF EVERYDAY LIFE

The purpose of this paper is to analyse Graham Swift's poem The Virtuoso in light of his theory regarding the magic of everyday life and in relation to his novels. According to Lindsay (2002), Swift's writings "raise questions about the relationship between personal histories and world events, between personal and public perceptions." Swift confesses that he starts his novels from small designs, that is, with poems he writes in-between his novels. What similarities can we find in terms of themes, characters, and philosophy of life and writing among his novels and this poem? In The Making of an Elephant: Writing from Within, Swift believes that "fiction - storytelling - is a magical thing." (Swift 2009: 11). He writes about "being under a story's 'spell'" (Swift 2009: 12), claiming that "the power of a good story is a primitive, irreducible mystery that answers to some need deep in human nature" (Swift 2009: 12). In what ways does Swift tell a story in this poem? Narratological theories will explain this.