Peter Howard wrote:-
'If someone told you that they were interested in reading poetry, but
knew very little about it, and wanted to learn more, where would you
point them?'
And if my last seemed cryptic, I was just suggesting that
anthologies aren't a good substitute for the individual books
of a given poet. Recently the chef at my local cafe wanted a
book for her adult son, who was getting interested in poetry
and I did in fact suggest the NDP edition (Louise Varese
translator) of Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud.
Anthologies are to Australian poetry what the JJJ Hottest
100 CDs are to Australian Rock 'n' Roll - merely a sampler
that might point you to the right artist. It's no reflection on
David Kennedy's editing, but I'm still half way through the
New Poetry anthology after two years possession... Yet
I've bought or borrowed a number of individual contributor's
titles, enjoying these far more than their (by nature) inadequate
representation in The New Poetry.
Knowing the title poem from its many anthology appearances,
is no substitute for reading Ashbery's 1st full collection selected
by WH Auden for the Yale Younger Poets Prize - Some Trees.
Hugh Tolhurst
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