Rebecca

sorry for the delay in response, which will be further added to by other
matters, which make me feel rather as if I am having conversations with
people at interplanetary distances, but I had to chew over what you say, as
well as sleep, eat, have a life etc.

Now I would say that the review is as much about general matters in the UK
as Padel's book, but, in its short scope, I think it is trying to relate the
two, the key point seems to me to be the comparison with New Labour,
implicit is a notion of tokenism, homage can be paid to notions of sexual or
racial equality while the same old abuses of power go on in redesigned garb.

Apart from anything else, it is of note that the 'sexy' quote is from a
+woman+ commentator, and when you write:

>Well, seriously, there's an element of misogynism and resentiment driving
this review " As long as it seems that there is 'racial inclusion' and more
women than ever before are being published (never mind the quality, feel the
width!)"  I wonder why I am being invited to "feel" anybody up at all? and
when's the last time we talked about the 'sexiness' of a male poet reading
or in workshop (for all you ornery types out there, this is _not_ a
request!)<

I have to hold reservations. 'Never mind the quality, feel the width' is
without sexual reference, what is behind that is the notion of the 'new
popular poetry' in Britain to which Padel subscribes (she has said
repeatedly that the modernism of the 1920's was an aberration which
estranged  the reading public and that recent British poetry, of a 'newgen'
kind that is, is correcting that mistake). As for the 'sexiness' of male
poets, I have known examples which fit into that category, that is to say
male poets who trade on their looks etc, I know that might be hard to
believe!

Alison's thoughtful and sensitive post on the review delineates the problems
facing women poets in this respect better than I can, in parallel, there's a
response to the writings of Sophie Hannah on the latest edition of Ron
Silliman's blog, I'm sure the address will have been posted by the time this
post appears, what is of interest, as an aside, is that I recall meeting her
once and she is nothing like the personality the publicity implies, a rather
quiet unassuming person without pretence, and the point there is that, yes,
the publicity urges of even the little world of poetry do tend to market
women poets in sexual terms, it sometimes happens with males too, it would
be naive to imagine that in such an image obsessed culture as ours this
doesn't go on.


Best

Dave