Lyra Frivola

University lectures, examination papers and the ambitions of writers become comic subjects in A. D. Godley's collection of light verse. Lyra Frivola mixes short rhyming poems with classical references, mock advice and imaginary conversations. A holidaying journalist turns every view and discomfort into material, while an aging lecture survives successive years with only a few changes. Christmas brings its own comedy through bills, tips, shopping and demands for good cheer.

The academic pieces make particular sport of Latin composition and the uncertainties of marking. Elsewhere, a celebrated composer struggles with the examinations required for a musical degree, and a Greek admiral makes an improbable claim upon the Isle of Wight. These shifts from personal inconvenience to public argument give the collection variety. Readers interested in university humor and literary parody can follow how formal verse turns professional habits and confident claims into jokes.