tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post6112463423119875032..comments2024-03-19T21:14:01.007-07:00Comments on The Compass Rose: Merwin as LaureateCurtis Favillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213075853354387634noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-31913731248711586832010-07-06T10:13:34.319-07:002010-07-06T10:13:34.319-07:00i can forgive him for not stopping writing after T...i can forgive him for not stopping writing after The Lice, although he could have without diminishing his total accomplishment very much. it is a great book, & does have force behind its sometimes blurry words. but who among us is willing to quit just because we are no longer in a furor about something? <br /><br />writing poems is, besides communication, also a habit.<br /><br />m.michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00975839075714035618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-90847801805767625082010-07-06T09:52:25.969-07:002010-07-06T09:52:25.969-07:00Oddly enough, I just stumbled upon an article by S...Oddly enough, I just stumbled upon an article by Simon Jarvis on "why rhyme pleases" -<br /><br />http://www.thinkingverse.com/Simon Jarvis, Why rhyme pleases.pdfDon Sharehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03446230480847015806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-26099143801751924712010-07-03T05:56:07.041-07:002010-07-03T05:56:07.041-07:00well
as Stone Girl so
frequently has intimated:
...well<br /><br />as Stone Girl so<br />frequently has intimated:<br /><br />"I have noh-thing to say and<br />spend all of my time say<br />-ing it. KISS ME!"<br /><br /><br />(what IS the score here? Love/Forty? or Forty/Love?)<br /><br />last time that I went down to The Library of Congress (to "pop in" on the Poet Lawreate was Bill Stafford and<br /><br />as I grew up a (in D.C.) near there (7 th Street N.E. between F & G<br /><br />he was very tickled to get out of that office wayyyyyyy up in the top and<br />walk mabout D.C. Many years after this I checked one of his books written the poems in while he was in D.C. AND<br /><br />D I G THIS there were a couple of poems ABOUT his/this walk-about!<br /><br />now that I am almost 70<br /><br />I think that I will "drop in" on Merwin... maybe take him over to Union Station and show him how "they" are destroying D.C.<br /><br />maybe we can change the motto on our $100 bill:<br /><br />from "In God We Trust" to<br /> "Fuck For The Buck"<br /><br />(can 'you' say <br />'fuck' on a blog?)<br /><br />especially when used in a contextual me:ander?Ed Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11285310130024785775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-464112171415553882010-07-03T05:34:35.961-07:002010-07-03T05:34:35.961-07:00Oops!
Sorry about that. An unintentional error. M...Oops!<br /><br />Sorry about that. An unintentional error. My apologies to Mr. MerwinConrad DiDiodatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18312831623791642286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-78365979708413933142010-07-02T21:21:15.706-07:002010-07-02T21:21:15.706-07:00You seem to object to the colloquial or casual nat...You seem to object to the colloquial or casual nature of Merwin's verse, Sir F? In some sense I agree (tho' poet I'm not...), but maybe it's a type of...praxis, deliberately simple, post-modernist something or another. He's a buddhist supposedly ... <a href="http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20492" rel="nofollow">Merwin</a>. it's like....therapeutic, Sir F. defeating the enemy by karmic kindness, man (at least until they behead you)Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11567400697675996283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-27865570167373125312010-07-02T20:15:42.751-07:002010-07-02T20:15:42.751-07:00Well, Conrad, you can't really talk about some...Well, Conrad, you can't really talk about something you haven't read, can you?<br /><br />Nothing elitist about me--I'm not a member of any elites. Just a bloke expressing opinions.<br /><br />I've felt this way about Merwin's work for 40 years, and his election to the Laureate-ship didn't change anything for me. I don't think he's a very great poet, and so I'm not in favor of his election. He's probably a very nice fellow, in person. Why not appoint Robert Bly?--he'd certainly shake things up, and he has all the credentials anyone would need for the post. <br /><br />By the way, why do you keep calling Merwin "Erwin"?Curtis Favillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06213075853354387634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-38126643957079729242010-07-02T18:09:14.283-07:002010-07-02T18:09:14.283-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Conrad DiDiodatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18312831623791642286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-228678741012214542010-07-02T17:13:09.169-07:002010-07-02T17:13:09.169-07:00Conrad:
I think you're misapprehending the pr...Conrad:<br /><br />I think you're misapprehending the process here.<br /><br />Blogging is an informal indulgence, but one does have a responsibility to what one feels. Obviously, my comprehension of Merwin's work is a hundred times more complex than the reading (or analysis) of a single poem. My take here is meant only to remind myself (and to point out to the reader) that Merwin's work has shown amazing consistency of approach over the last 40 years, and that what I still see in it shows little change or improvement over that whole period. That may be a crucial indictment, but such is my opinion.<br /><br />Before objecting to what you perceive as a limited view of this writer's work, you should probably undertake to read a segment of his work--both old and new--and then decide for yourself whether Ron's and my view of it is correct. Until you do that, you're just basically complaining about "negativity".<br /><br />Another tip: Why not read the Merwin poem I've quoted in a different way, your way? It's perfectly possible that your reading of it would/will be completely different than mine. It will/would have complete integrity. That's how you'll come to reach a defensible position. Until then, stay tuned....Curtis Favillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06213075853354387634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-73277549233554755612010-07-02T17:00:05.629-07:002010-07-02T17:00:05.629-07:00Curtis,
yes, I'd never heard of Merwin til th...Curtis,<br /><br />yes, I'd never heard of Merwin til this morning.I'll probably order a copy of his works from Amazon later and familiarize myself with the man's writing,something I like to do. In fact, it was here that I first became acquainted with James Wright. But I'm commenting on a single blog article in which (a) you provide an overview of the issue of Merwin's winning the Poet Laureate post and (b) make, at the same time, some disdainful comments about a poet's style, based mostly on an analysis of a single poem. To both of which I've every right in the world to post a response, good, bad or indifferent.<br /><br />I'd say, logically, your comments and my "ignorant" retorts are about on an equal footing, eh? Heavens, you wouldn't have many readers if the requirement of complete familiarity with topic content were imposed. A reader can tune into 'style' and 'argumentation' as easily as content itself. I'd rather prefer to regard the Erwin piece you've commented on not as some "graspable" thing restricted to a single, identifiable moment in your own personal life-history: the Erwin piece, to me, as all literary oeuvre is an unfolding event on which I've as much right to comment as you, especially since some controversy has also arisen over it.<br /><br />It's also the cynicism with which you and Silliman are treating the issue of Merwin's laureatship that got my attention. Again, I thought you'd like the formalist style of the man. There are interesting cultural differences between Americans and Canadians that I find intriguing: so you'll have to forgive my eagerness to jump into the fray when interesting topics like this come up, however unfamiliar I may be with the poet and the macchinations of Poet Laureate selection. Both of which are only temporary limitations.Conrad DiDiodatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18312831623791642286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-26787540200749124562010-07-02T16:58:49.337-07:002010-07-02T16:58:49.337-07:00Curtis,
yes, I'd never heard of Merwin til th...Curtis,<br /><br />yes, I'd never heard of Merwin til this morning.I'll probably order a copy of his works from Amazon later and familiarize myself with the man's writing,something I like to do. In fact, it was here that I first became acquainted with James Wright. But I'm commenting on a single blog article in which (a) you provide an overview of the issue of Merwin's winning the Poet Laureate post and (b) make, at the same time, some disdainful comments about a poet's style, based mostly on an analysis of a single poem. To both of which I've every right in the world to post a response, good, bad or indifferent.<br /><br />I'd say, logically, your comments and my "ignorant" retorts are about on an equal footing, eh? Heavens, you wouldn't have many readers if the requirement of complete familiarity with topic content were imposed. A reader can tune into 'style' and 'argumentation' as easily as content itself. I'd rather prefer to regard the Erwin piece you've commented on not as some "graspable" thing restricted to a single, identifiable moment in your own personal life-history: the Erwin piece, to me, as all literary oeuvre is an unfolding event on which I've as much right to comment as you, especially since some controversy has also arisen over it.<br /><br />It's also the cynicism with which you and Silliman are treating the issue of Merwin's laureatship that got my attention. Again, I thought you'd like the formalist style of the man. There are interesting cultural differences between Americans and Canadians that I find intriguing: so you'll have to forgive my eagerness to jump into the fray when interesting topics like this come up, however unfamiliar I may be with the poet and the macchinations of Poet Laureate selection. Both of which are only temporary limitations.Conrad DiDiodatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18312831623791642286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-42548183997244094642010-07-02T16:57:57.109-07:002010-07-02T16:57:57.109-07:00Curtis,
yes, I'd never heard of Merwin til th...Curtis,<br /><br />yes, I'd never heard of Merwin til this morning.I'll probably order a copy of his works from Amazon later and familiarize myself with the man's writing,something I like to do. In fact, it was here that I first became acquainted with James Wright. But I'm commenting on a single blog article in which (a) you provide an overview of the issue of Merwin's winning the Poet Laureate post and (b) make, at the same time, some disdainful comments about a poet's style, based mostly on an analysis of a single poem. To both of which I've every right in the world to post a response, good, bad or indifferent.<br /><br />I'd say, logically, your comments and my "ignorant" retorts are about on an equal footing, eh? Heavens, you wouldn't have many readers if the requirement of complete familiarity with topic content were imposed. A reader can tune into 'style' and 'argumentation' as easily as content itself. I'd rather prefer to regard the Erwin piece you've commented on not as some "graspable" thing restricted to a single, identifiable moment in your own personal life-history: the Erwin piece, to me, as all literary oeuvre is an unfolding event on which I've as much right to comment as you, especially since some controversy has also arisen over it.<br /><br />It's also the cynicism with which you and Silliman are treating the issue of Merwin's laureatship that got my attention. Again, I thought you'd like the formalist style of the man. There are interesting cultural differences between Americans and Canadians that I find intriguing: so you'll have to forgive my eagerness to jump into the fray when interesting topics like this come up, however unfamiliar I may be with the poet and the macchinations of Poet Laureate selection. Both of which are only temporary limitations.Conrad DiDiodatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18312831623791642286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-41115194655218218282010-07-02T16:56:55.837-07:002010-07-02T16:56:55.837-07:00Curtis,
yes, I'd never heard of Merwin til th...Curtis,<br /><br />yes, I'd never heard of Merwin til this morning.I'll probably order a copy of his works from Amazon later and familiarize myself with the man's writing,something I like to do. In fact, it was here that I first became acquainted with James Wright. But I'm commenting on a single blog article in which (a) you provide an overview of the issue of Merwin's winning the Poet Laureate post and (b) make, at the same time, some disdainful comments about a poet's style, based mostly on an analysis of a single poem. To both of which I've every right in the world to post a response, good, bad or indifferent.<br /><br />I'd say, logically, your comments and my "ignorant" retorts are about on an equal footing, eh? Heavens, you wouldn't have many readers if the requirement of complete familiarity with topic content were imposed. A reader can tune into 'style' and 'argumentation' as easily as content itself. I'd rather prefer to regard the Erwin piece you've commented on not as some "graspable" thing restricted to a single, identifiable moment in your own personal life-history: the Erwin piece, to me, as all literary oeuvre is an unfolding event on which I've as much right to comment as you, especially since some controversy has also arisen over it.<br /><br />It's also the cynicism with which you and Silliman are treating the issue of Merwin's laureatship that got my attention. Again, I thought you'd like the formalist style of the man. There are interesting cultural differences between Americans and Canadians that I find intriguing: so you'll have to forgive my eagerness to jump into the fray when interesting topics like this come up, however unfamiliar I may be with the poet and the macchinations of Poet Laureate selection. Both of which are only temporary limitations.Conrad DiDiodatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18312831623791642286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-20696253285446490562010-07-02T16:17:35.805-07:002010-07-02T16:17:35.805-07:00Conrad:
My experience of Merwin's work is not...Conrad:<br /><br />My experience of Merwin's work is not total (comprehensive), but clearly more than what you've had. I "lived through" much of the literary time which WSM's career covers, and have complicated opinions about where he belongs in the sequence and ranking of his time(s).<br /><br />Let's not oversimplify the critical issues that surround the work of any important writer. If my take on Merwin's work is negative, you should read him to make your own assessment. A negative assessment--which you take mine to be--can't have any meaning for you until, or unless, you can offer a an opposite (countervailing) experience from you own reading. Otherwise, you're arguing from a position of ignorance (I don't mean that in the negative sense--only that you're unfamiliar with his work--by your own admission).Curtis Favillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06213075853354387634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-18005350971149316382010-07-02T12:24:29.738-07:002010-07-02T12:24:29.738-07:00Curtis,
this Merwin winning Poet Laureate in the ...Curtis,<br /><br />this Merwin winning Poet Laureate in the U.S. seems to be sticking in everybody's craw, and I wonder why. The hidden psychology of resentment underlies much of yours and Silliman's comments, and an outsider such as myself must ask why.<br /><br />I've never heard of the man til I turned on my computer today nor do I get the Library of Congress and Poet Laureate connection either(it sounds dreadfully political!) It seems Silliman's just showing the usual avant-gardists' disdain for anyone making into the nation's literary consciousness before they do. It hasn't occurred to him (and his crew) that the avant-garde can only flourish as the OUTSIDER: content to remain the hidden toxin in mainstream culture. When will the ever learn from Arp, Tzara,Marinetti, Apollinaire, etc<br /><br />I'm tired of his whining. And frankly (unless Grenier's had a silent influence )I don't know why a Formalist type of guy like you won't rally to the Erwin cause. The brief bio and outline of his literary development ("self-renewal") you've given seem pretty sympathetic. But to demand more from a poet who's exercised his craft for over fifty years seems like a pretty silly request.I don't think you've done justice to Erwin's language & poetics (judging by the flat critique of his "Rain Light" piece).<br /><br />And besides who'd tolerate a writer of Sillimanesque asyntactical Sentences or pwoermds or Flarf or programmable media poetry as a nation's leading literary figure. And frankly who cares. I think we ought to be more concerned about what's going on in Afghanistan and the Gulf.Conrad DiDiodatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18312831623791642286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1660090614793277371.post-88147219856487635532010-07-02T12:18:03.645-07:002010-07-02T12:18:03.645-07:00Withal, it is a very "nice" poem, with t...<i>Withal, it is a very "nice" poem, with three or four touches--but what are the "washed colors of the afterlife"? The whole experience of the poem is of a series of soft, vague, shifting movements or non-specific impressions, no one of which is very memorable...</i><br /><br />That seems to describe a great deal of official poetry of the last few decades, tho' I sort of enjoyed the few Merwin pieces someone demanded we read out of Norton something or another.... <br /><br />One thing about ...Ezra Pound-- he seemed to avoid the soft or "hallmarky". (Same for other greats--say Rilke. Or the Best of Sheets and Kelley). surrealists, perhaps, but at the same time the surrealist funhouse becomes boring rather quickly (for that matter, what poet can keep up with a Dali or Magrittte?? few).<br /><br />Pound's poesy wasn't merely the beatnik "f*cking and heroin" school either, or "te amo Karl Marx" (then, semi-coherent marxists often are preferable to Hallmark too). Great poets must be great minds, alas--Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11567400697675996283noreply@blogger.com