At first I think it’s a poem. Then I realise that it isn’t. Not exactly. Then I’m glad it’s not me he’s talking about. Then I start thinking about school and how it can knock all that’s good out of poetry. Then I think this piece should be posted on every classroom and lecture hall in the country.
I haven't ever read Harvey Shapiro poems. Are they so bad?
2 comments:
Shapiro's work is similar in ways to that of Frank O'Hara and "New York" poets. Here are two positive reviews which give you some sense of his work:
from "The Villager"
Another
Here are 3 short poems of his which appeared on "Poetry Daily":
Three poems
I suspect the reviewer has a problem with this entire approach to poetry, and Shapiro simply becomes for him a representative of a trend he (the reviewer) dislikes. Intensely.
I've read little of Shapiro's work myself, so don't have a broad base of his work from which to draw any conclusions.
Yes, it's hard to know. I quite liked one of the poems you linked to, about the expanding universe, and wasn't so sure about the others, but I'd need to read more to get a fuller picture.
Thanks for these links. They do balance things up a bit. But I did find the review in Stride very amusing, although I probably wouldn't have if it had been about me...
Post a Comment