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On Poetry and Craft

by Theodore Roethke

On Poetry and Craft Cover

ISBN13: 9781556591563
ISBN10: 155659156x
All Product Details

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

"One of the virtues of good poetry is the fact that it irritates the mediocre."

Theodore Roethke was one of the most famous and outspoken poets and poetry teachers this country has ever known. In this volume of selected prose, Roethke articulates his commitments to imaginative possibilities, offers tender advice to young writers, and zings darts at stuffed shirts, lightweights and fools.

"Art is our defense against hysteria and death."

With the assistance of Roethke's widow, this volume has been edited to include the finest selections from out of print collections of prose and journal entries. Focused on the making and teaching of poetry,On Poetry and Craftwill be prized in the classroom-and outrageous Roethke quotes will once again pepper our conversations.

"You must believe a poem is a holy thing, a good poem, that is."

Theodore Roethkewas of an illustrious generation of poets which included Sexton, Plath, Lowell, Berryman, and like them he received nearly every major award in poetry, including the Pulitzer Prize and twice the National Book Award. In spite of his fame, he remained a legendary teacher, known for the care and attention he gave to his students, poets such as James Wright, Carolyn Kizer, Tess Gallagher, and Richard Hugo. Roethke died on August 1, 1963, while swimming in a friend's pool.

"But before I'm reduced to an absolute pulp by my own ambivalence, I must say goodbye. The old lion perisheth. Nymphs, I wish you the swoops of many fish. May your search for the abiding be forever furious."

On Poetry and Craft

I am overwhelmed by the beautiful disorder of poetry, the eternal virginity of words.

The poem, even a short time after being written, seems no miracle; unwritten, it seems something beyond the capacity of the gods.

We can't escape what we are, and I'm afraid many of my notions about verse (I haven't too many) have been conditioned by the fact that for nearly 25 years I've been trying to teach the young something about the nature of verse by writing it--and that with very little formal knowledge of the subject or previous instruction. So it's going to be lik

Synopsis:

Roethke's prose teems with fierce intelligence and outrageous quoteable quotes.

Synopsis:

Cultural Writing. Theodore Roethke was one of the most famous and outspoken poets and poetry teachers this country has ever known. In this volume of selected prose, Roethke articulates his commitments to imaginative possibilities, offers tender advice to young writers, and zings darts at stuffed shirts, lightweights and fools. Introduction by Carolyn Kizer. Bring to poetry the passion that goes into politics or buying a piece of meat --Theodore Roethke.

Synopsis:

Cultural Writing. Theodore Roethke was one of the most famous and outspoken poets and poetry teachers this country has ever known. In this volume of selected prose, Roethke articulates his commitments to imaginative possibilities, offers tender advice to young writers, and zings darts at stuffed shirts, lightweights, and fools.

About the Author

Theodore Roethke was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1908. As a child, he spent much time in the greenhouse owned by his father and uncle. His impressions of the natural world contained there would later profoundly influence the subjects and imagery of his verse. Roethke graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan in 1929. He later took a few graduate classes at Michigan and Harvard, but was unhappy in school. His first book, Open House (1941), took ten years to write and was critically acclaimed upon its publication. He went on to publish sparingly but his reputation grew with each new collection, including The Waking which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1954. He admired the writing of such poets as Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Blake, and Wordsworth, as well as Yeats and Dylan Thomas. Stylistically his work ranged from witty poems in strict meter and regular stanzas to free verse poems full of mystical and surrealistic imagery. At all times, however, the natural world in all its mystery, beauty, fierceness, and sensuality, is close by, and the poems are possessed of an intense lyricism. Roethke had close literary friendships with fellow poets W. H. Auden, Louise Bogan, Stanley Kunitz, and William Carlos Williams. He taught at various colleges and universities, including Lafayette, Pennsylvania State, and Bennington, and worked last at the University of Washington, where he was mentor to a generation of Northwest poets that included David Wagoner, Carolyn Kizer, and Richard Hugo. Theodore Roethke died in 1963.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

K Magill, June 2, 2008 (view all comments by K Magill)
I return to Roethke over and over again, particularly this collection of essays, lecture notes, journal entries, and other tidbits. Not only was the man a remarkable poet, but an accomplished aphorist as well; some of the one-liners here have stayed with me for well over a year now, particularly his observations on teaching. What I wouldn't give to have had Roethke as my poetry professor!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781556591563
Foreword:
Kizer, Carolyn
Author:
Kizer, Carolyn
Author:
Roethke, Theodore
Publisher:
Copper Canyon Press
Location:
Port Townsend, Wash.
Subject:
General
Subject:
Poetry
Subject:
Authorship
Subject:
Aesthetics
Subject:
Poetics
Subject:
Roethke, Theodore
Subject:
General Poetry
Subject:
Roethke, Theodore - Authorship
Subject:
General Literary Criticism & Collections
Subject:
Literary Criticism : General
Copyright:
Series:
Writing Re:Writing
Series Volume:
2
Publication Date:
20010131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
210
Dimensions:
8.99x6.01x.67 in. .74 lbs.

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On Poetry and Craft New Trade Paper
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Product details 210 pages Copper Canyon Press - English 9781556591563 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , Roethke's prose teems with fierce intelligence and outrageous quoteable quotes.
"Synopsis" by , Cultural Writing. Theodore Roethke was one of the most famous and outspoken poets and poetry teachers this country has ever known. In this volume of selected prose, Roethke articulates his commitments to imaginative possibilities, offers tender advice to young writers, and zings darts at stuffed shirts, lightweights and fools. Introduction by Carolyn Kizer. Bring to poetry the passion that goes into politics or buying a piece of meat --Theodore Roethke.
"Synopsis" by , Cultural Writing. Theodore Roethke was one of the most famous and outspoken poets and poetry teachers this country has ever known. In this volume of selected prose, Roethke articulates his commitments to imaginative possibilities, offers tender advice to young writers, and zings darts at stuffed shirts, lightweights, and fools.
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