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
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