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Poets on Poetry
The Castle of Perseverance: Job Opportunities in Contemporary Poetry
This collection by poet and novelist Thomas M. Disch offers a generous assortment of his writing on various literary topics, his reviews of plays and opera, and some of his poetry. The first essay, "The Future of the Book," prophesies the decline of print media and the increasing prominence of the internet and hypertext as a means of disseminating authors' work. Unlike Sven Birkerts, Disch does not mourn nostalgically the loss of Gutenberg's printing press. Rather, he speaks with playful aptness of books saturating our landfills.
Next, Disch offers an essay on epic verse that juxtaposes such canonical giants as Homer and Virgil with the likes of Michael Lind and some war-inspired American novelists, including John Dos Passos, Ernest Hemingway, and Norman Mailer. He uses Harold Bloom's concept of "the anxiety of influence" as well as the ideas of the poetical voice to segue into a discussion on twentieth-century poet John Ciardi's progression from the "Capitalist of the Po-Biz" in his early career to "the Polonius of American poetry."
The essay "Job Opportunities in Contemporary Poetry" is a scathing and witty critique of the poet as professional. Disch argues that the notion that one can subsist on one's poetry alone while escaping to the Caribbean for vacations and retreats is "grasshopperism at its most presumptuous." All in all, Disch dishes out a sumptuous platter of poems and prose that are certain to satisfy.
Thomas Disch is a popular and prolific poet, playwright, essayist, and novelist. He is the author of many works of science fiction and the poetry collections Dark Verses and Light and Yes, Let' New and Selected Poems.
Next, Disch offers an essay on epic verse that juxtaposes such canonical giants as Homer and Virgil with the likes of Michael Lind and some war-inspired American novelists, including John Dos Passos, Ernest Hemingway, and Norman Mailer. He uses Harold Bloom's concept of "the anxiety of influence" as well as the ideas of the poetical voice to segue into a discussion on twentieth-century poet John Ciardi's progression from the "Capitalist of the Po-Biz" in his early career to "the Polonius of American poetry."
The essay "Job Opportunities in Contemporary Poetry" is a scathing and witty critique of the poet as professional. Disch argues that the notion that one can subsist on one's poetry alone while escaping to the Caribbean for vacations and retreats is "grasshopperism at its most presumptuous." All in all, Disch dishes out a sumptuous platter of poems and prose that are certain to satisfy.
Thomas Disch is a popular and prolific poet, playwright, essayist, and novelist. He is the author of many works of science fiction and the poetry collections Dark Verses and Light and Yes, Let' New and Selected Poems.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published July 24, 2002
About the author
Thomas M. Disch
378 books321 followersThomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction writer and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book—previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book"—in 1999. He had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, a Rhysling Award, and two Seiun Awards, among others.
His writing includes substantial periodical work, such as regular book and theater reviews for The Nation, The Weekly Standard, Harper's, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Times Literary Supplement, and Entertainment Weekly.
As a fiction writer and a poet, Disch felt typecast by his science fiction roots. "I have a class theory of literature. I come from the wrong neighborhood to sell to The New Yorker. No matter how good I am as an artist, they always can smell where I come from".
Following an extended period of depression after the death in 2005 of his life-partner, Charles Naylor, Disch stopped writing almost entirely, except for poetry and blog entries, although he did produce two novellas. Disch fatally shot himself on July 4, 2008, in his Manhatten (NYC) apartment.
Naylor and Disch are buried alongside each other at Saint Johns Episcopal Church Columbarium, Dubuque, Iowa. His last book, The Word of God, which was written shortly before Naylor died, was published a few days before Disch's death.
His writing includes substantial periodical work, such as regular book and theater reviews for The Nation, The Weekly Standard, Harper's, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Times Literary Supplement, and Entertainment Weekly.
As a fiction writer and a poet, Disch felt typecast by his science fiction roots. "I have a class theory of literature. I come from the wrong neighborhood to sell to The New Yorker. No matter how good I am as an artist, they always can smell where I come from".
Following an extended period of depression after the death in 2005 of his life-partner, Charles Naylor, Disch stopped writing almost entirely, except for poetry and blog entries, although he did produce two novellas. Disch fatally shot himself on July 4, 2008, in his Manhatten (NYC) apartment.
Naylor and Disch are buried alongside each other at Saint Johns Episcopal Church Columbarium, Dubuque, Iowa. His last book, The Word of God, which was written shortly before Naylor died, was published a few days before Disch's death.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 14, 2010
Disch is one of my favorite contemporary critics (well, contemporary past tense – he recently died), despite the fact that what he likes is often kind of stuff I don’t (big long poems, poems with strict form, May Swenson). What he doesn’t like is right up my alley, however, and thus my happiness whenever starting in on one of his essays. This book, his last book of criticism (as far as I know) is not as good as The Castle of Indolence, but it is still quite good in spots. Here are a few bits:
“The Future of the Book” Yeah, not the best. Published in 1998 before Kindles and whatnot, there is a whiff of old fogey to this that put me in mind of Sven Birkert’s “Gutenberg Elegies.”
“On the Walls of the Cave: Epics Old and New” Disch special pleads here for the return of the epic and how we should read William Morris’ The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs. I read the long passage Disch quotes and it was tough going and I don’t get it but I totally respect and admire Disch for his call for readers.
“The Eisenhower Laureate: John Ciardi” The best piece in the book, I’ve read this three or four times. John Ciardi was a very ambitious second-rate poet of the 40s and 50s who lived long enough to see his reputation shrivel up and die. Disch gives him his due and defends him against the worst of his latter-day detractors (David Wojahn gets thrashed for kicking a dog when he’s down) without over-correcting what is Ciardi’s deservedly eclipsed reputation.
“On the Rondeau” The rondeau is an annoying antique form of limited use. And yet Disch discourses on it with flair and an open-heartedness that makes me feel cranky and narrow-minded. I’m not sold exactly, but I feel I’ve been put in my place a little, which is a good thing.
“Kenneth Koch” A reappraisal of a poet Disch greatly admires. Again, Disch has an appreciation for poetry in general that is so much more open-hearted and generous than mine that it is with some embarrassment that I have to say I am still not sold on Kenneth Koch, but I plan on being more attentive to him in the future.
I thought all of the short review sections were terrific, even when I didn’t agree with Disch’s evaluations. Sometimes Disch values a kind of what I consider verse over real poetry (and Disch doesn’t really make the distinction)…but this is a tough distinction to make, and I am not exactly clear on it in my own mind. What I most value in Disch’s criticism is his finely-honed, vicious but good-natured bullshit detector.
“The Future of the Book” Yeah, not the best. Published in 1998 before Kindles and whatnot, there is a whiff of old fogey to this that put me in mind of Sven Birkert’s “Gutenberg Elegies.”
“On the Walls of the Cave: Epics Old and New” Disch special pleads here for the return of the epic and how we should read William Morris’ The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs. I read the long passage Disch quotes and it was tough going and I don’t get it but I totally respect and admire Disch for his call for readers.
“The Eisenhower Laureate: John Ciardi” The best piece in the book, I’ve read this three or four times. John Ciardi was a very ambitious second-rate poet of the 40s and 50s who lived long enough to see his reputation shrivel up and die. Disch gives him his due and defends him against the worst of his latter-day detractors (David Wojahn gets thrashed for kicking a dog when he’s down) without over-correcting what is Ciardi’s deservedly eclipsed reputation.
“On the Rondeau” The rondeau is an annoying antique form of limited use. And yet Disch discourses on it with flair and an open-heartedness that makes me feel cranky and narrow-minded. I’m not sold exactly, but I feel I’ve been put in my place a little, which is a good thing.
“Kenneth Koch” A reappraisal of a poet Disch greatly admires. Again, Disch has an appreciation for poetry in general that is so much more open-hearted and generous than mine that it is with some embarrassment that I have to say I am still not sold on Kenneth Koch, but I plan on being more attentive to him in the future.
I thought all of the short review sections were terrific, even when I didn’t agree with Disch’s evaluations. Sometimes Disch values a kind of what I consider verse over real poetry (and Disch doesn’t really make the distinction)…but this is a tough distinction to make, and I am not exactly clear on it in my own mind. What I most value in Disch’s criticism is his finely-honed, vicious but good-natured bullshit detector.
Displaying 1 of 1 review