E-grāmata: Poetry of Weldon Kees

Although Kees remained invisible to academics, he exerted a powerful influence on young poets. The huge gap in Keess reputation between poets and professors came to symbolize the stark differences in literary taste among creative and theoretical thinkers who often coexist uneasily in the same English department. John T. Irwin, a poet and literary critic who teaches at Johns Hopkins University, has partially closed the gap in a brilliant new study of this neglected author. Most pioneering monographs are cautious in their approach. Irwins The Poetry of Weldon Kees: Vanishing as Presence is audacious and provocatively speculative. Declaring Kees the most interesting poet of his generation, Irwin frames the authors life and work against a backdrop of modern literature and philosophy. concise, clearly argued, and free from critical cant, the book is a model of scholarly writing; it also reminds the reader how revelatory literary criticism can be. For Irwin, the stakes are not merely academic; understanding Kees is literally a matter of life or death. Dana Gioia, Poet and former NEA chair, The American Scholar Irwin's sensitive readings are consistently illuminating. The American Scholar . . . Irwin insightfully opens doors into a few works an lays groundwork for further exploration of Kee's place in contemporary poetry. Library Journal Irwin writes with the courtly civility and cultivation of a bygone era, which is pleasing unto itself, and the book as an object continues this pleasure; at 120 pages, its a categorically slim volume, which speaks not just to Irwins economy of style, but also to his subjects short life, which ended (as far as we know) at 41. Los Angeles Review of Books . . . Irwins memoir is a nice little piece almost more a lengthy essay which includes Keess art, and the writers life it discusses the philosophy of Nietzsche and nihilism, Camus major influence on the idea of suicide and the bizarre and flat out strange nature of disappearances. Portland Book Review Irwin considers Keess disappearance in the light of his poems and vice versa, and traces influences upon Keess thinking by rereading the many authors Kees mentioned in his own writings, paying particular attention to mentions of suicide and resurrection. Spiked Despite my differing assessment of the value of Keess poetry, I have no doubt that John Irwins book is essential. Its conversational prose avoids jargon, and it offers both thoughtful analysis and new insights derived from difficult research. The Poetry of Weldon Kees: Vanishing as Presence will thoughtfully guide future scholars. I recommend it highly. Claremont Review of Books . . . Irwin avoids academic jargon and theories du jour; calling the book "the eventual fulfillment of a lengthy admiration" for Kees, he is clearly eager to share that esteem not only to fill a gap in academic literature, but also to bring this fascinating and overlooked poet to more readers. I hope he succeeds. Weekly Standard