Tuesday, September 22, 2009

News at Eleven: The poem ends, "She was unhappy

just as I was only not as lucky"--almost glib in its bitterness. Is the tragedy, then, the poet-speaker's or the child's? Is she just another "fine human/hamster"?

It's hard to tell if [Franz] Wright's strategies are faulty or brilliant; whether he performs, or unconsciously reveals, problematic character. Readers may find themselves wondering, "Why'd he do that?"--and that's as it should be with poetry.

from The New York Times: Dark Glamour

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1 comment :

Anonymous said...

Anyone who believes that I the "speaker" of my poem (that's me--"speaker" is an ancient poetry workshop term still used by sheep) is more interested in self than in the suicide of a child is just a monster.
Daisy Fried is another not-so-young-anymore mediocre MFA produce who is on the make, now, as a "critic". What she writes is not criticism--it's an attempt to make a name for herself by saying smirky things about poets who do, God help them, have a name. FW