Poetry and science are both rooted in imagination

The Poetry and Music of Science
By Tom McLeish
OUP, 384pp, £25/$35

This book attracted my eye because I combine my role as a science columnist with writing a fair amount of poetry. At first sight I could not see the connection. But then I made the mistake of allowing myself to think about it. McLeish’s book is a challenging one, and his theme is laid out very thoroughly. Give yourself a couple of quiet days to master it.

No one denies the importance of science. It may bore some of us but it is essential for our progress. It is concerned with cause and effect – it enables us to understand phenomena, and to develop that understanding through further research. We know that our current situation is largely founded on the sciences, and we are confident that our futures will be maintained and, one hopes, improved. It is important but it does not make the heart race.