On Sun, 02 Jul 2000 22:09:32 -0700
Mark Weiss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:-
Cardenal also presided over a great deal of censorship of other writers,
including former comrades in arms who were not Sandinistas, while Minister
of Culture. Of course that speaks more to his reputation for sanctity,
political and otherwise, than to the quality of his poetry.
Well, Mark, sorry to hear that but I guess
it's not terribly surprising both on the priestly
count and the Marxist count. I wasn't too keen
on John Howard appointing a Jesuit in the person
of Edmund Campion (of History of the Catholic Church
in Australia fame) as Literature Fund chair here several
years ago. Priests given executive power over cultural and
artistic affairs can find themselves in conflicts of interest quite
quickly. Various monarchs have said things on the unwisdom
of such appointments, I believe.
At least Cardenal wasn't an Orwellian Minister for
Culture, as in he wasn't against culture...
I'm sure there are downsides to having poets
in powerful positions within government.
Do you know specifically who Cardenal censored
and what form that took?
What was it Stalin said, 'The minute I hear that word
culture, I reach for my revolver'.
Actually my fave South American (and maybe he is
a bit lost or neglected too) of Cardenal's
generation is Chilean poet Nicanor Parra, last year
I chaired a panel on humour in poetry at the Melbourne
Festival of Poetry, and threw in three or four Parra pieces
from Emergency Poems. Kieran Carroll (a younger Melbourne
poet and musician also on the panel) took a shine to him as I recall
saying Parra must be Chilean poetry's answer to punk or
something like that. A physicist by trade I think, outrageous
poet. Paired with Neruda in the antipoetry 'movement'
early on. Was rude to the left and rude to the right.
cheers
Hugh
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