Poems on the Underground

[1] Launched in 1986, the Poems on the Underground programme was the idea of three writers, Judith Chernaik, Gerard Benson, and Cicely Herbert whose aim was to bring poetry to a wider audience.

Judith Chernaik, Cicely Herbert, Imtiaz Dharker, and George Szirtes now select poems for inclusion in the programme.

[1] The first book containing all the featured poems was not published until much later, having been initially rejected by Faber as unlikely to prove commercially viable.

He was set a target by the publishing house of selling 5,000 copies by the Christmas following publication, or risk losing his job.

The works are displayed three times a year and have proved extremely popular with the travelling public.