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I remember ploughing through Sean O'Brien's Deregulated Muse and thinking that he was giving the English (male) poets the short end of the stick, except for one, a Northern poet heavily into mysticism and religion. Kind of struck me then that O'Brien was basically saying that if you aren't religious (or Irish), then you can't write "real" or "good" poetry. He didnt outright say this, but the implication was there. Of course, if you say this directly then your attacks are undermined, and to me you look pretty bloody stupid if that is what you mean. All that verbiage about what makes interesting poetry, all that "balance", all for nothing. If you follow the Jesus path then you can't do any wrong. Become an unbeliever and any generosity is thrown out the window. You see, that's the problem: I'm quite happy for christians - or anyone of any religious persuasion - to write poetry. I often find that it's those who are religious are the ones who cannot find it in their hearts to include other poetries. But hey, don't let me stop you attacking anyone's work on the basis of their beliefs. If you feel that's what you want to do, you go ahead. I can't stop you being stupid. Just don't expect me to rollover and play quiet. Roger On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 7:01 AM, David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > And poets lose faith in all their Imaginary Friends. > > You get Simon Armitage: > > 'Firstly, bookish people imagine themselves as purists, but are > actually perverts, belonging to a deviant culture' > > (So that explains Larkin's private library) > > 'Poetry continually runs the risk of being unexciting because of its > continual attempts to appeal to unexciting people - people who enjoy > reading - an essentially passive, silent and solitary activity' > > From 'Re-Writing the Good Book' reprinted 'Strong Words', Bloodaxe, 2000. > > The essay begins with an imaginary game with Christmas cards and you > get party tricks as a governing metaphor in some of Armitage's poems. > So you have the poet here as someone who wants to have lots of friends > at Poly. > > Best > > Dave > > -- > David Bircumshaw > Website and A Chide's Alphabet http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/ > The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html > Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk > -- My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/ "She went out with her paint box, paints the chapel blue She went out with her matches, torched the car-wash too" The Go-Betweens