> (QUOTE) 'When, in editing the first volume of Poet's Bookshelf, Peter
> Davis got some 81 poets to respond to his request for a list of
> 5-10 books that have been most "essential" to you, as a poet
> and asked his respondents further to "Please write some comments about
> your list," he got an awesomely, if predictably, wide range of
> reactions.' (END QUOTE)
>
> I would be very interested in hearing from p'etcers on their lists of
> "essential books" - hopefully with comments.
Restricting myself to books, as opposed to music, films, etc
(because let's not go there just now!).
*Very* difficult to limit it to 5 to 10 books.
I made a much longer (and perhaps more interesting) list
and took out all but the handful most reread.
Surrealist Poetry in English, ed. Edward B Germain (Penguin) -- this is
the one I take on holidays with me, that didn't get packed when we
moved house! If I want to get in the mood for writing or editing
it's just great.
Louis MacNeice selected by Michael Longley (Faber).
Lovely to read aloud.
James Joyce's "Ulysses", of which I have so far read half.
(Currently reading "Portrait of the artist as a young man"
mentioned by Kasper. I got an ancient "Essential Joyce" for 60 cents,
from a school jumble sale!)
To read Joyce is to bathe in beautiful words.
"The Tao of Physics" by Fritjof Capra (sp?),
and Terry Pratchett's Discworld books.
In your attempt to understand the universe start with these.
Bono in Conversation with Michka Assayas.
This is the sort of book where I want to have a philosophical
debate with the authors but end up writing poetry.
Hope this is of some interest -- not sure whether Andrew meant
only poetry books.
It may be hard to detect the influence of any of the above
on my poetry, except perhaps that of MacNeice -- only I was
writing the way I do *before* I read him.
Janet
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Janet Jackson <[log in to unmask]>
Poems at Proximity: www dot proximity dot webhop dot net
My life is like a movie
that everyone but me has seen
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