While reading Joe Hutchison's recent
post about Phil Levine, I was reminded that the new Poet Laureate of the US was among the poets who generously agreed to send us something for Madrona's 1972 invitational issue. Other poets included w.j. higginson, Tomas Tranströmer translated by Robery Bly, William Stafford, Richard Hugo, James Merrill, Alan Dugan, Eve Triem, David Ignatow, David Wagoner, William Matchett, Beth Bentley, James Humphrey, Donald Finkel, Paul Zimmer and David Young, plus contributions from all three of the magazine’s editors.
Levine not only sent us the artfully handwritten poem above but also included a photograph of the woman he said he was in love with at that time. I assume Levine remembers the woman but wouldn’t it be nice to think he also remembers the magazine and the poem accompanying her picture?
Vassilis,
ReplyDeleteLevine strikes me as a real people's poet, always eager to share. A refreshing change from the usual elitism that marks so much contemporary verse.
Before the professionalization of poetry, poets worked for a living. Eliot was a banker and then an editor; Williams doctored; Stevens managed insurance claims; Oppen worked as a carpenter; Ignatow worked in a bindery (as I remember); etc. Some even wrote advertising copy, like James Dickey. I'm not saying that teaching, which most poets do now, isn't work; but it's insular in a way that few other professions are and elitist in the way of any guild, with secret handshakes and passwords and—who knows—maybe secret underwear inscribed with mottos from from some angelic alphabet. Levine has spent most of his life in academe, but his well of experience and his word-hoard are located farther back amid the smells of axle grease, hot steel, black coffee and bacon, and sweat, of course, and somewhere whiffs of Saturday night perfume. Is there an American poet under 35 whose work (as Famous Seamus puts it somewhere) swims in touch with soft-mouthed life? i know they must be there, but maybe not enough of them.
ReplyDeleteJoseph, I know one: Joseph Mulligan.
ReplyDeleteVassilis, just arrived from Italy (what a place!!!). Glad you liked my versions of Samperi's Quadrifariam.
And what a group of poets for an issue published the year I was born. I don't know some of them, I will look for their work.
Best
Mario DomÃnguez Parra
"A people's poet" which makes his appointment as PLOTUS even more deserving of praise; as for the professionalization of poetry, all these full-time professors of poetry should know betterL: One is a poet ONLY when one is writing a poem.
ReplyDelete1972--a good year for poetry, in more ways than one!