Patrick Kavanagh (
1904-
1967)
To be a
poet and not know the trade,
To be a
lover and repel all women;
Twin
ironies by which great
saints are made,
The agonising pincer-jaws of
heaven.
During the
BAFTA awards in February
2002,
Russell Crowe won an award for Best Actor for his role in
A Beautiful Mind. During his acceptance speech, he read this poem. He was furious when he discovered that the poem, as well as a minute and a half of his speech, including parts where he thanked
John Nash and his wife Alicia, were cut. Lenghty speeches by recipients are a perrenial problem for award shows, but Crowe says, prior to the cuts, his speech was less than two minutes long.
Backstage, Crowe pinned producer
Malcolm Gerrie against the wall and verbally berated him, to the delight of
gossip columnists worldwide. Crowe defended his anger but he did call Gerrie and apologize to him. The speech was left intact for international airings of the awards show, but ironically not in the version shown in
Australia, where Crowe gathered with friends on his
New South Wales farm to watch it.
Many suspect that this incident and his overall tempermental reputation contributed to the Academy's decision to award the best actor oscar to
Denzel Washington instead of Crowe.
Sources: BBC News, The Guardian