A Poet's Mind: Collected Interviews with Robert Duncan, 1960-1985
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This collection presents a rare window into the sprawling intellect of Robert Duncan, a pivotal postwar American poet whose influence rivals literary giants. Spanning over two decades, these interviews reveal Duncan’s unique conversational style—a dynamic, exploratory process mirroring his poetry. Readers will journey through his profound insights, connecting art, history, and the human psyche. Beyond his intellectual prowess, the book illuminates Duncan’s personal courage as an openly gay man long before societal acceptance, and his deep relationships with other visionary writers, offering a holistic portrait of a complex and influential figure.
Praise for this book
“This is, simply, an essential text. Duncan was always an amazing talker and thinker, and these interviews over three decades display his animated intelligence and spirit in full glory. Invaluable for poets and those interested in a broad sweep of modern poetry and poetics, this volume is crackling with Duncan's wit and honesty and profound seriousness about the art and its forebears.”
“It would be hard to overestimate the importance of this book. Like no other yet published, it exhibits the operations of the mind of a great American poet at play in the most diverse fields: social and political criticism; sexuality; philosophy; and of course literary history, theory, and poetics. This collection is a testament to Duncan's full engagement with how to live in a civil (or uncivil) society.”
“This is a great and spiritually magnanimous volume. Active and peaceful anarchist, and shaper of the best that was to come after him, Robert Duncan possessed genius that opened worlds. These interviews are breathing shapes of consciousness.”
📝 Description: A Poet's Mind: Collected Interviews with Robert Duncan, 1960-1985
📑 What's inside
- List of Photographs
- Foreword: Robert Duncan and the Slipstream of Memory / Gerrit Lansing
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I. Derivation and Obedience
- Meeting with a College Student (with Deborah Digges, 1974, unpublished)
- For The Sullen Art (with David Ossman, 1960, unpublished)
- Yale Reports: On Poetry (with Eugene Vance, 1964, unpublished)
- Wonder Tales (with Michael Auping, 1983)
- Australian Radio Interview (with Ian W. Reid, 1976, excerpts, unpublished)
- Then You Live in the Spirit (with David Melnick, 1985, unpublished)
- Naropa Institute Interview (with Anne Waldman et al., 1978, excerpts)
- Part II. A Poetry of Unevenness
- Beat Scene Interview (with Colin Sanders, 1980)
- Interview with George Bowering and Robert Hogg (1969, excerpts)
- Unmuzzled OX Discussion (with Howard Mesch, 1974)
- Flooded by the World (with Jack R. Cohn and Thomas J. O'Donnell, 1980)
- On the New Poetics (with L. S. Dembo, 1967, unpublished)
- Part III. Toward the Liberation of Human Love
- A Vast, Nervous, Contradictory, Worldly Life (with Robert GlUck, 1984)
- Poet of the Light and Dark (with David Quarles, The Advocate, 1976)
- Gay Sunshine Interview (with Steve Abbott and Aaron Shurin, 1978-79, excerpts)
- A Conversation with Robert Duncan (with Robert Peters and Paul Trachtenberg, 1976)
- Part IV. Surrounded by Love's Company
- On Pound and Williams (with James Laughlin, 1983)
- The World of Jaime de Angulo (with Bob Callahan, 1979, excerpts)
- Charles Olson and Black Mountain College (with Ann Charters, 1969, mostly unpublished)
- The Spectrum Interviews, 1982, Part I: Out from Under 'Olson's Push' (excerpts)
- The Spectrum Interviews, 1982, Part II: Revolt against 'Backlash' (excerpts)
- On Kenneth Rexroth (with Linda Hamalian, 1982)
- The Closeness of Mind (with Gerald Nicosia, 1978)
- A Conversation about Poetry and Painting (with Kevin Power, 1976)
- Part V. In an Order of Orders
- boundary 2 Interview (with Ekbert Faas, 1980)
- Nematodes! Nematodes! (with Michael McClure, 1985)
- Realms of Being (with Rodger Kamenetz, 1985)
- Sagetrieb Interview (with Michael AndrE Bernstein and Burton Hatlen, 1985)
- An Interview with the BBC (1985, excerpts, unpublished)
- Permissions and Copyrights
💎 Expert review
📖 Why choose it
Why this book is worth reading
This collection is essential for those fascinated by the alchemy of language and the hidden currents that shape modernist literature. Readers who appreciate deep dives into the creative process will find immense value in witnessing Robert Duncan’s dynamic, exploratory mind at work. It offers a rare, candid glimpse into the life of a visionary who bridged art, history, and the human psyche with profound insight. Those interested in LGBTQ+ literary history will also gain a respectful look at his courage and relationships. Ultimately, it serves as a holistic portrait for anyone seeking to understand the intellectual and spiritual forces behind one of America’s most pivotal postwar poets.
⭐ Reader reviews
Reader rating
This book is a dense, rewarding archive for serious scholars and devotees of Duncan’s complex poetics. It succeeds in illuminating his sprawling intellect and personal courage through candid conversation. However, it does not suit readers seeking straightforward narrative biography or those uninterested in the intricacies of postwar American literary movements. The exploratory nature of the interviews may feel meandering to those preferring linear analysis or concise critical overviews. It is strictly for the dedicated enthusiast ready to engage with a challenging, multifaceted portrait of a visionary figure.
❓ Frequently asked questions
📖 Who should read this
If you seek to understand the profound interconnections between art, spirit, and existence, or wish to explore the mind of a poet whose bravery extended beyond the page, this collection is for you. It's an invitation to engage with a truly expansive intellect.
🎯 Key themes and symbolism
Interdisciplinary Gnosis
Discover how Duncan seamlessly weaves together disparate fields—from the esoteric threads of art and history to the intricate patterns of psychology and scientific inquiry. This book showcases his unique capacity to perceive the underlying unity in diverse disciplines, offering a holistic and profound understanding of existence.
Personal Truth & Courage
Gain intimate insights into Duncan's personal journey, including his pioneering courage as an openly gay man in an era of repression. The collection also highlights his significant friendships and intellectual exchanges with fellow literary visionaries, painting a vivid picture of his life and influences.
📜 Historical context
📚 Glossary
- Generative
- Multi-directional
- Postwar American Poetry
📔 Questions to reflect on
- How does embracing a "multi-directional" approach to your own understanding of art or knowledge shift your perspective?
- Consider Duncan's bravery in his personal life. In what areas of your own life might you cultivate more radical authenticity?
- If your conversations were a form of "discovery and exploration," what new insights might emerge about your own beliefs or experiences?
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