Q: There seems to be an idea that even if poetry itself is alive and well, contemporary poetry is relegated to near obscurity, and that argument draws its weight simply from a visit to the local Barnes and Noble, where the poetry section is miniscule and more or less entirely composed of dead writers. How would you respond to this idea, and what can contemporary poets do to enhance the status of America’s still-living poets?
A: The dead writers are great. They have passed the test of time. They represent centuries to choose from, not a few decades like us living writers. So it makes sense that the more excellent the shelves, the more books by dead writers on them. Viva the dead! Let the living “enhance their status” by trying to write well.
-- http://southeastreview.org/2009/11/robert-pinsky.html
[Actually, those shelves are not mostly composed of dead writers, from what I've seen; your mileage may vary. The selection of living poets to be found there is worth discussing - booksellers and buyers for stores, weigh in on how you stock your poetry books! ]
2 comments:
Cardamomaroma! I think you're right about B&N nowadays. The interviewer may be remembering the shelves at B. Dalton and Waldenbooks.
This is a question that seems to come up over and again. If you are a poet the only thing you can really control is your poetry. So it seems to me that the only thing you can do is to adjust the way you write to meet your audience, your reader. To many people this seems like a compromise, the have some pure vision of what their poetry should be. To them, I say, fair enough, but don't complain that not enough people are reading it.
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