The Great Myths #24: The Monster Satan (Dante)
In one of the great gymnastic feats of world literature, Dante and Virgil climb the body of Satan, located as … Continue Reading The Great Myths #24: The Monster Satan (Dante)
The Poet Speaks #5: Hughes, Auden, Hall, Pinsky, Collins
On why he wrote about animals so much: I suppose because they were there at the beginning. Like parents. Since … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #5: Hughes, Auden, Hall, Pinsky, Collins
The Poet Speaks #4: O’Connor, Campbell, Merwin, Walcott, van Gogh
Flannery O’Connor responds to questions from academics and their students about her short stories: Week before last I went to … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #4: O’Connor, Campbell, Merwin, Walcott, van Gogh
The Great Myths #23: The Monster Grendel (Anglo-Saxon)
Then from the moor under misty hillsides, Grendel came gliding girt with God’s anger. The man-scather … Continue Reading The Great Myths #23: The Monster Grendel (Anglo-Saxon)
The Great Myths #22: The Monster Humbaba (Mesopotamian)
Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu face Humbaba, the guardian of the cedar forests of Lebanon. The tablets where the story … Continue Reading The Great Myths #22: The Monster Humbaba (Mesopotamian)
The Poet Speaks #3: Snodgrass, Beethoven, Hollander, Kunitz, Milosz
Advice to aspiring poets: If you can, get out. Everything else in the world pays better. Everything else in the … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #3: Snodgrass, Beethoven, Hollander, Kunitz, Milosz
The Poet Speaks #2: Leonardo, Williams, Bishop, Meredith, Ashbery
Quotes from all over on art & creativity: [Leonardo] was always less concerned with the finishing of a picture than … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #2: Leonardo, Williams, Bishop, Meredith, Ashbery
The Great Myths #20: The Holy Grail Appears (Middle English)
Then anon they heard cracking and crying of thunder, that them thought the place should all to-drive. In the midst … Continue Reading The Great Myths #20: The Holy Grail Appears (Middle English)
The Poet Speaks #1: Fitzgerald, Larkin, Paz, Lowell, Aiken
A new series of quotes from everywhere on writing and creativity: I was in the Navy, and I worked at … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #1: Fitzgerald, Larkin, Paz, Lowell, Aiken
The Great Myths #19: The Sacrifice of Ymir Made into the World (Norse)
From a dialogue about the beginning of the world; at one point, a giant called Ymir is mentioned: “Where did … Continue Reading The Great Myths #19: The Sacrifice of Ymir Made into the World (Norse)
The Great Myths #18: The Sacrifice of Isaac (Jewish)
And it happened after these things that God tested Abraham. And He said to him, “Abraham!” and he said, “Here … Continue Reading The Great Myths #18: The Sacrifice of Isaac (Jewish)
The Great Myths #17: A Sacrifice for the Feast (Greek)
The cow came in from the field, and the companions of great-hearted Telemachos came from beside their fast black ship, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #17: A Sacrifice for the Feast (Greek)
The Great Myths #16: A Siberian Horse Sacrifice, and the Shaman’s Ascent to the Sky (Altaic)
The first evening is devoted to preparation for the rite. The kam (shaman), having chosen a spot in a meadow, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #16: A Siberian Horse Sacrifice, and the Shaman’s Ascent to the Sky (Altaic)
The Great Myths #15: The Horse Sacrifice (Hindu)
Rig Veda 1:162 – The Sacrifice of the Horse Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman the Active, Indra the ruler of the Ṛbhus, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #15: The Horse Sacrifice (Hindu)
