Ali
Les Murray's politics, as far as I understand them, are not something I'm
keen on too, but I would say that in his vast output there are pieces that
work on the page. I recall being at a talk last year when a well-known
English editor (naming no names) read examples of his idea of what poetry
should be, everything was banal and forgettable, except for one piece, which
he introduced as being 'not really poetry, as I understand it, but something
that has a character of its own'.
It was by Les Murray.
As for who will be remembered in the future, crumbs, how can anyone know
that? Will any poetry be remembered in the future? the dice are up on that
I'd say.
All the Best
Dave
David Bircumshaw
Leicester, England
Home Page
A Chide's Alphabet
Painting Without Numbers
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: "ALI ALIZADEH" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2002 5:27 AM
Subject: Re: Vendler on Les Murray?
I met Les a while ago and, although I wasn't keen on being either nice or
polite to
someone (a boring writer at that) who works for the extreme right-wing
publication 'Quadrant', I ended up shaking hands and sharing a laugh with
him. He's
a lot more likable in person than he is on the page. Which make me agree
with
Douglas C; he probably won't survive as a writer. In a few decades he may be
remembered as Australia's belated imitation of Henry Longfellow, but that'd
be it.
As far as Vendler's attitude towards other post-colonial poets is concerned,
I
wouldn't call her ignorant. From what I know of her work, Vendler is a
passionate
and private reader and doesn't get invovled in the social aspects of
promoting
poetry and publishing a la Perloff. I think a lot of the hyperbolic praise
heaped
upon Australian poets in particular has been the result of desperate
altruism,
unabashed nepotism and trans-continental back-scratching i.e. the 'cringe'.
I'm not
surprised that Vendler doesn't want a bar of it.
Ali
P.S. Sorry if my views offend. No offence was intended.
---- Original Message ----
From: Douglas Clark
Date: Tue 7/2/02 7:42
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Vendler on Les Murray?
I never thought anything of Les Murray despite reading him a lot
until I saw an hour-long film of him on the South Bank Show.
PLacing his poetry among the images and sounds of his everyday
life placed him in a completely different perspective and it
was possible to appreciate him as a poet. But I still could
never return to his poems on the page where they seem a
disorganised illiterate sprawl. But he is a genuine poet
who I dont think will survive on paper.
Douglas Clark, Bath, England mailto: [log in to unmask]
Lynx: Poetry from Bath .......... http://www.bath.ac.uk/~exxdgdc/lynx.html
On Tue, 2 Jul 2002, Alison Croggon wrote:
> Given my own shameful ignorance of NZ poetry, wouldn't surprise me
> one bit (no, haven't forgotten about the putative feature, folks, but
> have been a bit swamped with other business). Perhaps Vendler can't
> "hear" Murray; I remember Kinsella saying that Murray puzzled UK
> students until the poems were read in an Australian accent, because
> they couldn't "get" the rhythms; and not getting the rhythms meant
> the poetry made no sense to them.
>
> Best
>
> A
>
> >
> >
> >But then I'd be interested to see if Vendler knows anything at all about
> >the poetry of Australia & New ealand (let alone Canada) for example. What
> >would she say, then, of Wright, Campbell, Dobson, Harwood, or Webb, to
> >choose just some of the elders of the 20th century Australian poetic
tribe?
> >I shudder at the thought.
> --
>
> "The only real revolt is the revolt against war."
> Albert Camus
>
> Alison Croggon
> Home page
> http://www.users.bigpond.com/acroggon/
>
> Masthead Online
> http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/
>
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