Darwin: A Life in Poems

On the Origin of Species is 150 years old, but the work of Charles Darwin remains as influential as ever. Darwin’s great-great-granddaughter, Ruth Padel, tells her famous ancestor’s life story all in verse. One poem describes Darwin’s awe at the sealife that washed up on the deck of the Beagle. Another tackles how Charles’ scientific ideas did not square with his wife Emma’s deep religious faith.