Ah, but it's Braithwaite's _Born to Slow Horses_ that won the Griffin
Prize a few years ago. Though, on the other hand, I understand he had
been quite poor at the time....
He is a much more experimental & innovative poet than Walcott....
Doug
On 2-Jun-09, at 4:54 AM, Martin Walker wrote:
> Perhaps I should have written "not so well known internationally any
> more"
> (though I stand open to correction here, being not so conversant
> with all
> the trends of the moment) and "in the Anglo-American poetry world
> Derek
> Walcott..." When I first started exploring modern poetry Brathwaite
> was an
> important figure - then the wind blew in the other direction and
> Walcott
> became more famous. Though confusingly the Chadwyck-Healey 20th
> Century
> English poetry CD-Rom only includes Brathwaite. So it goes, probably
> something to do with licensing fees....I personally think poetry is
> more
> like Hegel's burrowing mole of revolution and that - like great
> music - it
> takes time to reach those who become ready for it and unconsciously
> look for
> it. The DOA theory is erroneous because that vast monster, language,
> takes
> its time to ingest and regurgitate. But as Hal says, a poem only
> needs one
> reader. In each case that is "me".
> mj
> Du siehst mein Sohn, zum Raum wird hier die Zeit. - Gurnemanz
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Martin Walker
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 11:13 AM
> Subject: Re: "Previously unpublished"
>
>
> Bra(i)thwaite, Stephen? Methinks you got your West Indians mixed
> up ;-).
> Edward Kamau B. is as you say not so well known, but in the poetry
> world
> Derek Walcott has been much read and fęted. And has poetry ever - at
> least
> since bardic times - been much more than a diversion of the clerisy &
> purveyors of high-class entertainment to the ruling caste, he asked
> wickedly?
> mj
> Du siehst mein Sohn, zum Raum wird hier die Zeit. - Gurnemanz
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Stephen Vincent
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 3:06 AM
> Subject: Re: "Previously unpublished"
>
>
> I been thinking - and maybe others have, as well - that a poem does
> not
> exist in any of the public spheres (online, print, etc.) until it
> 'breeds' a
> review and/or critical response in the eye/ear in a similar or
> entirely
> separate public channel (online,print, etc.) And something continues
> to grow
> from there.
>
> I am thinking that most poetry, no matter how well or diligently
> written
> has become absolutely frivolous. Frivolous because it has no
> visible, or
> useful function in the culture(s). It's just dead on arrival! The
> mechanisms
> for making it so appear entirely devoid of vitality.
> At best Hermes is talking to Hermes.
>
> Until such public means (call and response) are constructed
> (again), no
> matter our skills and muse fidelities, in terms of any longer being
> a big
> public animal, we be sweeping salt. (i.e., there is much work to be
> done,
> and why the weekly poetry snap here can be and is valuable).
>
> Whatever his graces, flaws, etc. I suspect Padel was able for a bit
> to
> play her ruse on Braithwaite and make it persuasive was because not
> many in
> this world had read his poetry. Where issues of sexual harassment
> are - and
> rightly so - required literacy and training in multiple (academic,
> corporate, etc.) environments. And consequently publicly persuasive
> and, for
> a time, ruled this discussion
>
> On this this joyous note!
>
> Stephen V
> http://stephenvincent.net/blog/
>
Douglas Barbour
[log in to unmask]
http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/
Latest books:
Continuations (with Sheila E Murphy)
http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?LID=41&bookID=664
Wednesdays'
http://abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-from-aboveground-press_10.html
Swept snow, Li Po,
by dawn’s 40-watt moon
to the road that hies to office
away from home.
Lorine Niedecker
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