The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot

Alan Yentob marks the centenary of TS Eliot's poem, with a reading by Jeremy Irons.

TS Eliot was only 22 years old when he wrote The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock - yet many people read the speaker as a middle-aged man contemplating ageing and mortality. This is one of the extraordinary features of the poem that first drew Alan to it as a teenager.

Now, we know this isn't technically Radio 4 in Four minutes, but we couldn't edit T.S. Eliot, or Jeremy Irons for that matter! So this is a one-off extended 4 in Four. Enjoy.

First broadcast on The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, 2 June 2015.