Eight-year-old Poet Easily Passes Test

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27875, 25 January 1956, Page 7

Eight-year-old Poet Easily Passes Test

(Special Correspondent N.ZJP.A.)

(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 23. With flying colours, an eight-year- ' old poet prodigy, Minou Drouet, has won admission to the National Songwriters’ Association, says the Paris correspondent of- the ‘‘News Chronicle.” As are all other candidates, she was put into a room by herself and given , a subject on which she had to write . a poem. For weeks violent controversy has , raged round this little orphan girl. Some French critics claimed her as a genius, but others were doubtful ■ whether a child was capable of writing such remarkable poems. ! Already composers are putting her . poems to music. That is why she had to become a member of the Songwriters’ Association. It is this body which protects

authors and collects their fees. The association chairman, Mr Albert Wellemetz, said to Minou: ‘‘l want you to write a poem either about the sky of Paris or what it feels like to be eight years old.” Minou chose the sky. Adult candidates are given three hours to prove that they are genuine song writers, but Minou came skipping from the study half an hour later , with, a 38-line poem in her hand. ' Mr Wellemetz said afterwards: “We , were stunned by her poem.” In her poem, Minou described the . sky of Paris as a ‘‘cocktail of night and fear,” which was “nibbled sharply • by its churches” and which was [ “flamboyant tulle” and was “immense, . tawny dawn, and tempest coloured.” Minou’s poems were published last J week. «