Jamie, I was exaggerating to make a point: that few people outside of certain academic and poetry “fandom” circles know who these poets are compared to Dylan. So to that extent compared to Dylan they are inconsequential. I was defending Dylan’s right to be a Nobel winner because of Michael’s condescending attitude to Dylan winning the prize rather than criticising those poets for their small audiences. Sorry if that didn’t come across.
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Jaime McKendrick wrote:
David, your remark that these poets and writers were "pretty inconsequential" was what I was taking issue with and not with your appreciation of Dylan which I happen to share. Your explanation - "that we are talking...not about influencing a few poets who teach at universities" is pretty close to 'gibberish', to use your own word, but it's also weirdly uninformed to presume Szymborska and Transtromer have no readers that aren't poets and academics, and not just in Poland and Sweden. (Not to mention the prose writers you dismiss.) Who teaches at university anyway? Well, not me nor Michael either. And If we did would that disqualify us?
Even less enlightened,
Jamie
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