The Argument of Innocence: A Selection from the Arts of Kenneth Patchen

by Kenneth Patchen, Miriam Patchen (Foreword), Péter Veres (Editor)

90 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Kenneth Patchen was an American poet and novelist. He experimented with different forms of writing and incorporated painting, drawing, and jazz music into his works, which have been compared with those of William Blake and Walt Whitman. Patchen's biographer wrote that he "developed in his fabulous fables, love poems, and picture poems a deep yet modern mythology that conveys a sense of compassionate wonder amidst the world's violence." Along with his friend and peer Kenneth Rexroth, he was a central influence on the San Francisco Renaissance and the Beat Generation.

Reviews

[Stephen]

A look at Patchen as a visual artist and more than a literary figure. From page design and text layout to the picture poems and some sculpture- this is a great catalogue. The color reproductions are great and the text accompanying the works is great explanation and insight, and does not detract.