Sunday, April 20, 2008

"That is why Frank O'Hara, who included everything in his poetry, is so valuable to my generation, and why his short, stylish manifesto "Personism" seems to obliterate the ponderous theorizing by every other New Critical, poststructural or Language poet of the past century. He understood that poetry is a pleasure like a lot of other pleasures, and our pleasures are highly subjective: . . ."

3 comments:

Montgomery Maxton said...

the new Selected Poems of Frank O'Hara book that came out in March is gorgeous!

Pamela Johnson Parker said...

This came out in time for class tomorrow on enjambed lines. I love to teach O'Hara for what he teaches all poets on the use of the line...Thanks for the quote!

Rosa said...

Personism is the only poetic method that allows for gross understatement and invisible overstatement. It is like a grilled cheese sandwich in which you find tomatoes, and you didn't know it came with tomatoes, but tomatoes on a grilled cheese sandwich have always brought you joy. But they weren't poking out the sides when the waitress delivered the plate. Personism is the letter you write to the recipients in your head.