| Author | Message | ||
| Dan Tompsett
Intermediate Member Username: db_tompsett Post Number: 367 Registered: 07-2007 |
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/books/review/Orr-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 "People who believe a lot of crap are better off." Charles Bukowski | ||
| LJ Cohen
Moderator Username: ljc Post Number: 10876 Registered: 07-2002 |
greatness, schmateness. I don't really care what some stuffy-shirts decide about who is 'great' in poetry. I read. Some poems move me beyond words. Others I shrug at.  best, ljc Once in a Blue Muse Blog "Chop Wood, Carry Water" | ||
| Cornelius Vanvig
Intermediate Member Username: corneliusvanvig Post Number: 446 Registered: 08-2005 |
To me "greatness" in literature means standing the test of time. I think it is ridiculous to declare someone "great" until at least 50 years after their deaths. John Ashbury's poems bore me to tears, and I seriously wonder if any will care about them 100 years from now except for obscure academic studies so I think it is very premature to declare him or anyone else "great" during their lifetimes. | ||
| Dan Tompsett
Intermediate Member Username: db_tompsett Post Number: 368 Registered: 07-2007 |
Yeah; the works of a lot of so-called "great" poets do nothing for me. I think the worst flaw a poet can have is to be boring. Of course, it's a matter of taste. I'm sure there are readers who enjoy the works of John Milton and Longfellow, for example, but I can't stand to read them. Charles Bukowski is very popular, but I know of several readers who feel that his work is garbage. Don't be boring! Don't be boring! Don't be boring! "People who believe a lot of crap are better off." Charles Bukowski | ||
| Jim Doss
Moderator Username: jimdoss Post Number: 3604 Registered: 12-2003 |
I don't care if a poet is great or not, or is well-known or not. If the words speak to me and seem genuine and authentic I will keep reading. If they don't speak to me or seem contrived or false, I stop immediately, regardless of reputation or publishing credits. I guess that is another of saying when it comes to any art form, beauty and worth are always in the eye of the beholder and is a very individual experience. Jim My Blog Loch Raven Review Editor Trakl Translations | ||
| Teresa White
Advanced Member Username: teresa_white Post Number: 1664 Registered: 01-2005 |
Thanks, Dan, for the article. Just a couple of brain hiccups: It regards this whole subject of the (dunno what to call it) say, the MFA-ing of American poetry. Sure, I wish I had an MFA or, hell, I'd settle for a BA from any decent college/university in the country...unfortunately, while I have some college, basically...I'm a mere high school graduate. My biggest regret in life is that I never got a degree...long story . I feel a shaggy-dog story coming on...so I'll try to cut to the chase. It's been my experience...that a poet is literally handicapped w/o being part of the "club." For years I tried to tell myself that it was the poetry that mattered...whether or not one was a member of the "club." But, sadly, there's a lot of truth in what I call "academic snobbery" in the poetry world. And most of you know what I'm talking about...and I mean NO offense to any of you reading this who have managed to attain a BA, MA, MFA, PhD, or whatever. I envy you. And I mean that not in a pejorative way. But then I ask myself would I 'up' my chances for this so-called 'greatness' if I went back to school at my age (I'm ancient) and got that MFA? Don't know. What I hate about the “revolution” in poetry is the fact that, if I let it, it turns my once “love of poetry” into something else if I let it. It boils down to this: competition. (With exception, of course, of M’s wonderful challenges)… I feel competition tends to turn poetry into a sport, for lack of a better word. And there are so many poets writing today..even if one IS great…that greatness can only be distilled… Seems like we’re all reaching for the same brass ring. Simply my 2˘ I find the poets who post here at Wild…are as good, if not better, than many so-called ‘famous’ poets. My best, T. Be satisfied that ye have enough light to secure another foothold. Anon. |
