From: "Jeffrey Side" <[log in to unmask]>
<<
For once I agree with you Geraldine. Rightly or wrongly, there is nothing
emotionally or humanistically at stake in Western poetry for it to
ultimately matter.
>>
I don't know what to say to the above, other than "Gugh!"
<<
I don’t think we should have a poetry X-Factor here, though, as we have too
many poetry competitions and prizes as it is.
>>
Just how does it differ, other than scale, from the normal mechanism of a
slam poetry competition?
Robin
Original Message:
Alison,
I would say A Touch of Evil embraces the tragic - in fact the film is the
most brilliant portrayal of the tragic brought about by corruption I can
think of. I think you a being unfair to Hollywood.
I do think there is a tendency to be more lenient with other cultures and
unfairly rubbish our own which is unhelpful. So we love an Arabic talent
show for poetry but if we did one it would be, as Peter puts it, a 'facile
travesty' - and he's probably right except it won't happen so he isn't
right. Poetry has always flourished in repressive cultures - almost in
ratio to the repression and the real story here is not game shows and the
likes of John Cage not risking his life but of that fabulously courageous
woman who has dared to speak out in such a starkly repressive culture
knowing that a fatwa against her was inevitable. That takes some spunk.
G.M.
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