His next book, "The Anathemata", appeared in 1952 (again published by Faber). Inspired in part by a visit to Palestine during which he was struck by the historic parallels between the British and Roman occupations of the region, the book draws on materials from early British history and mythology and the history and myths of the Mediterranean region. The poem received largely positive reviews and was acclaimed by writers such as Herbert Read, W. H. Auden, Kathleen Raine and William Carlos Williams. Douglas Cleverdon produced dramatised readings of "In Parenthesis" and "The Anathemata" for the BBC Third Programme. A young Richard Burton took the lead role of Private John Ball, the protagonist of In Parenthesis.