Seamus Heaney, from “Squarings”
Seamus Heaney, from “Squarings” Seamus Heaney often said that, from his experience as a poet, one’s creative life followed three … Continue Reading Seamus Heaney, from “Squarings”
Seamus Heaney, from “Crossings”
Seamus Heaney, from “Crossings” Seamus Heaney often said that, from his experience as a poet, one’s creative life followed three … Continue Reading Seamus Heaney, from “Crossings”
Seamus Heaney, from “Settings”
Seamus Heaney, from “Settings” Seamus Heaney often said that, from his experience as a poet, one’s creative life followed three … Continue Reading Seamus Heaney, from “Settings”
Seamus Heaney, from “Lightenings”
Seamus Heaney, from “Lightenings” Seamus Heaney often said that, from his experience as a poet, one’s creative life followed three … Continue Reading Seamus Heaney, from “Lightenings”
T. S. Eliot, “Preludes”
T. S. Eliot, “Preludes” I The winter evening settles down With smell of steaks in passageways. Six o’clock. The burnt-out … Continue Reading T. S. Eliot, “Preludes”
Thom Gunn, “On the Move”
Thom Gunn, “On the Move” “Man, you gotta Go.” The blue jay scuffling in the bushes follows Some hidden purpose, … Continue Reading Thom Gunn, “On the Move”
Thom Gunn, “No Speech from the Scaffold”
Thom Gunn, “No Speech from the Scaffold” There will be no speech from the scaffold, the scene must be its … Continue Reading Thom Gunn, “No Speech from the Scaffold”
Robinson Jeffers, “Boats in a Fog”
Robinson Jeffers, “Boats in a Fog” Sports and gallantries, the stage, the arts, the antics of dancers, The exuberant voices … Continue Reading Robinson Jeffers, “Boats in a Fog”
W. B. Yeats, “A Prayer for My Daughter”
W. B. Yeats, “A Prayer for My Daughter” Once more the storm is howling, and half hid Under this cradle-hood … Continue Reading W. B. Yeats, “A Prayer for My Daughter”
W. B. Yeats, “A Prayer for My Son”
W. B. Yeats, “A Prayer for My Son” Bid a strong ghost stand at the head That my Michael may … Continue Reading W. B. Yeats, “A Prayer for My Son”
e e cummings, Two Love Poems
e e cummings, Two Love Poems “in spite of everything” in spite of everything which breathes and moves,since Doom (with … Continue Reading e e cummings, Two Love Poems
Wordsworth, from “Poems on the Naming of Places”
Wordsworth, from “Poems on the Naming of Places It was an April Morning: fresh and clear The Rivulet, delighting in … Continue Reading Wordsworth, from “Poems on the Naming of Places”
Conrad Aiken, “Preludes for Memnon”
Conrad Aiken, from “Preludes to Memnon” I Winter for a moment takes the mind; the snow Falls past the arclight; … Continue Reading Conrad Aiken, “Preludes for Memnon”
20th Century Poetry #20: Edgar Lee Masters
Edgar Lee Masters (1868-1950) One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #20: Edgar Lee Masters
20th Century Poetry #19: Louis MacNeice
Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #19: Louis MacNeice
20th Century Poetry #18: T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #18: T. S. Eliot
Dante, Through the Fire
Here’s one of the great moments in poetry: Canto 27 of Dante’s Purgatorio, where Dante passes through the fire, and … Continue Reading Dante, Through the Fire
William H. McNeill – History as Myth
A few years ago, the great historian William H. McNeill died. I still have surprisingly endearing memories of reading his … Continue Reading William H. McNeill – History as Myth
20th Century Poetry #17: R. S. Thomas
R. S. Thomas (1913-2000) One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #17: R. S. Thomas
Ship in Air
Here’s a nice anecdote told twice, first from some anonymous Irish source, and then Seamus Heaney’s version of it in … Continue Reading Ship in Air
Heaney Comes to Poetry
Here are some of Seamus Heaney’s memories of reading, writing, and poetry, from earliest schooldays to university, all taken from … Continue Reading Heaney Comes to Poetry
20th Century Poetry #16: Vernon Watkins
VERNON WATKINS (1906-1967) One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #16: Vernon Watkins
Robert Pinsky, “The Figured Wheel”
The Figured Wheel, by Robert Pinsky The figured wheel rolls through shopping malls and prisons, Over farms, small and immense, … Continue Reading Robert Pinsky, “The Figured Wheel”
20th Century Poetry #15: C. Day-Lewis
C. DAY-LEWIS (1904-1972) One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #15: C. Day-Lewis
Heaney on Writing
Here’s Seamus Heaney talking about writing, from Dennis O’Driscoll’s book-length interview with him, Stepping Stones: On Inspiration On the week … Continue Reading Heaney on Writing
the robin ring around the sun: New Poem at Amethyst Review
Many thanks to Sarah Law at Amethyst Review, who just published my poem “Mr Cassian’s 54th Dream.” You can read … Continue Reading the robin ring around the sun: New Poem at Amethyst Review
Walt Whitman’s Letter to Parents Whose Son Died in the Civil War
Washington August 10 1863 Mr and Mrs Haskell, Dear friends, I thought it would be soothing to you to have … Continue Reading Walt Whitman’s Letter to Parents Whose Son Died in the Civil War
The Past is Not Dead: There is Only Continuity
from Peter Ackroyd, at the end of his first volume of the history of England: Other forms of continuity are … Continue Reading The Past is Not Dead: There is Only Continuity
The Popular Press in 1918 was Garbage Too
From Oswald Spengler’s Decline of the West, published just over a century ago. Our bad relationship with information and disinformation … Continue Reading The Popular Press in 1918 was Garbage Too
20th Century Poetry #14: Stevie Smith
How Alice Munro Chose to Write Short Stories
from the introduction to her Selected Stories: I did not “choose” to write short stories. I hoped to write … Continue Reading How Alice Munro Chose to Write Short Stories
History is An Accident
from Peter Ackroyd, at the end of his first volume on the history of England: When we look over the … Continue Reading History is An Accident
20th Century Poetry #13: Basil Bunting
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every Saturday … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #13: Basil Bunting
What To Expect When You’re in Love with a Writer
When in 1937 the mythologist Joseph Campbell began dating his future wife, the dancer Jean Erdman, he gave her a … Continue Reading What To Expect When You’re in Love with a Writer
Manet the Mystic
Manet’s 1862 painting The Old Musician is a great human riddle. Just what everybody is doing here, and why they’re … Continue Reading Manet the Mystic
Death in Ancient Egypt
Here, Erik Hornung refutes the old cliché that ancient Egyptian religion was “death obsessed,” or that constructions like the pyramids … Continue Reading Death in Ancient Egypt
20th Century Poetry #12: D. H. Lawrence
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every Saturday … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #12: D. H. Lawrence
5 Elegies by Seamus Heaney
from “Clearances” When all the others were away at Mass I was all hers as we peeled potatoes. They broke … Continue Reading 5 Elegies by Seamus Heaney
New story at Cutthroat: “The Frog”
Many thanks to the editors at Cutthroat (Pamela Uschuk, and fiction editor Bill Luvaas) for publishing my story “The Frog” … Continue Reading New story at Cutthroat: “The Frog”
“My Mother’s Sister,” by C. Day-Lewis
My Mother’s Sister I see her against the pearl sky of Dublin Before the turn of the century, a young … Continue Reading “My Mother’s Sister,” by C. Day-Lewis
The Religion of Ancient Egypt
A handful of passages from one of the best books on religion I’ve ever read, Erik Hornung’s Conceptions of God … Continue Reading The Religion of Ancient Egypt
20th Century Poetry #11: Rudyard Kipling
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every Saturday … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #11: Rudyard Kipling
Jews & Muslims on Pilgrimage Together in the 1300s
From Mark Cohen’s Under Crescent & Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages: An aspect of Jewish-gentile sociability under Islam … Continue Reading Jews & Muslims on Pilgrimage Together in the 1300s
What the Earliest Forms of Literacy Looked Like
from David Carr’s book on literacy and the creation of literature in the ancient world: … many ancient texts were … Continue Reading What the Earliest Forms of Literacy Looked Like
The Melancholy of William Blake
No matter how poor he got, and no matter what of his belongings he had to sell to get by, … Continue Reading The Melancholy of William Blake
Martin Luther Reinvents the German Language
When, in 1522, Martin Luther agreed to a staged kidnapping that would keep him safe from Catholic and other authorities, … Continue Reading Martin Luther Reinvents the German Language
20th Century Poetry #9: Susan Miles
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every Saturday … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #9: Susan Miles
Primo Levi’s Hardest Thoughts on the Holocaust
From Primo Levi’s 1986 book, The Drowned and the Saved, remembering the concentration camps: On Levi’s own—and others’—guilt at having … Continue Reading Primo Levi’s Hardest Thoughts on the Holocaust
20th Century Poetry #8: Wilfred Owen & the Poetry of World War One
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every Saturday … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #8: Wilfred Owen & the Poetry of World War One
20th Century Poetry #7: W. B. Yeats
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every Saturday … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #7: W. B. Yeats
Who are These Faces & What are Their Stories?
At an antique store a few years ago, I spent $10 on an envelope of old photos. I love to … Continue Reading Who are These Faces & What are Their Stories?
The Great Myths #56: The Early History of Yggdrasil (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Then spoke Gangleri: “Where is the chief center or holy place of the gods?” … Continue Reading The Great Myths #56: The Early History of Yggdrasil (Norse)
20th Century Poetry #6: John Squire & the Poetry of Protest
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every Saturday … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #6: John Squire & the Poetry of Protest
Burned as a Witch in Ireland in 1895
From Frazer’s Golden Bough: In March 1895 a peasant named Michael Cleary, residing at Ballyvadlea, a remote and lonely district … Continue Reading Burned as a Witch in Ireland in 1895
The Great Myths #55: An Island is Cut Away & the Prose Edda Begins (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here The Prose Edda, one of the greatest sources for Norse mythology, begins with … Continue Reading The Great Myths #55: An Island is Cut Away & the Prose Edda Begins (Norse)
20th Century Poetry #5: Edward Thomas
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every Saturday … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #5: Edward Thomas
Sleepwalking into World War One
From Christopher Clark’s The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914: Do we really need to make the case … Continue Reading Sleepwalking into World War One
The Great Myths #54: A Native American Orpheus (Tachi Yokut)
Read the other Great Myths here As the compiler of this myth notes: “The Orpheus myth is also popular among … Continue Reading The Great Myths #54: A Native American Orpheus (Tachi Yokut)
Marc Chagall Struck by Lightning
The artist Marc Chagall, meeting his wife Bella Rosenfeld in 1909; they were together for the next 35 years: … Continue Reading Marc Chagall Struck by Lightning
Bruce Springsteen on “Nebraska,” & When the Demo is the Album
Two passages from Bruce Springsteen talking about his 1982 album Nebraska. You can hear the entire album here: Nebraska began … Continue Reading Bruce Springsteen on “Nebraska,” & When the Demo is the Album
The Great Myths #53: Thor Goes Fishing for the Serpent that Surrounds the World (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Long ago the slaughter-gods were eating their hunting-prey in the mood for a drink, … Continue Reading The Great Myths #53: Thor Goes Fishing for the Serpent that Surrounds the World (Norse)
20th Century Poetry #4: Laurence Binyon
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #4: Laurence Binyon
The Hooded Lady of Brassempouy
from Randall White’s Prehistoric Art: The best known of the statuettes from Brassempouy is the 25,000 year-old “dame à la … Continue Reading The Hooded Lady of Brassempouy
Philip Roth Mourns the Behemoth of Pop Culture
from a 2006 interview: “… television began in 1948, really, and Popular Culture just grew and grew and grew and … Continue Reading Philip Roth Mourns the Behemoth of Pop Culture
William Blake Chooses Eternity
A wonderful paragraph from Peter Ackroyd’s biography of William Blake, where he shows how the poet slowly came to accept … Continue Reading William Blake Chooses Eternity
“It is so hard to die”: An Account of Depression from 1809
One of the most heartbreaking stories I know relates the last day in the life of Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis … Continue Reading “It is so hard to die”: An Account of Depression from 1809
Joseph Campbell’s Hero Sets Out
A piece of the beginning and end of The Hero with a Thousand Faces: Whether we listen with aloof amusement … Continue Reading Joseph Campbell’s Hero Sets Out
The Great Myths #52: Ríg Gives Advice (Norse)
Read the other Great Myths here Here is Andy Orchard’s translation of the Rígsthula, where the culture hero Ríg wanders … Continue Reading The Great Myths #52: Ríg Gives Advice (Norse)
20th Century Poetry #3: W. H. Davies
One way to understand where poetry is now is to see where it was a hundred years ago. Every Saturday … Continue Reading 20th Century Poetry #3: W. H. Davies
On Beethoven’s Deathbed
Here are two passages from Beethoven’s life. The first finds him on his deathbed, and is recorded in the memoirs … Continue Reading On Beethoven’s Deathbed
