[New-Poetry] Kunitz Speaking of Poetry

[David Graham]

A very fine poetry blog by someone named Loren Webster has the full text of
Kunitz's introduction to *Passing Through*, his selected later poems.  Plus
a lot of other interesting stuff, on Kunitz et al.

http://www.lorenwebster.net/In_a_Dark_Time/category/poets/stanley-kunitz/

The quotation that seems to be showing up most in obits & reminiscences
about Kunitz is from the end of his introduction:

"Poets are always ready to talk about the difficulties of their art. I want
to say something about its rewards and joys. The poem comes in the form of a
blessing-"like rapture breaking on the mind," as I tried to phrase it in my
youth. Through the years I have found this gift of poetry to be
life-sustaining, life-enhancing, and absolutely unpredictable. Does one
live, therefore, for the sake of poetry? No, the reverse is true: poetry is
for the sake of the life."
--Stanley Kunitz, 1995


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David Graham
grahamd at ripon.edu
Home Page:
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