A Critical Letter
About Our Review of
Louise Glück's "The Seven Ages"

 

Sirs:

On A. W. Allworthy's Review of The Seven Ages ---

Perhaps a less immature mind might see beyond the pyrotechnic whirl of angst-ridden poems and recognize that perhaps the quiet, contemplative places are the ones with the broadest frontier available, the space for modern revelation.

Not to discredit the work of those cited as better representative of "anthology"-bound work, for clearly those poets are masterful, their work timely and often timeless.

However, I resist the idea that somehow we are now able to see what will be revered in the future (if we are even able to hold up canonical poetry as the best representation of the genre).

I'm sure the whores and beggars that Shakespeare pandered to never thought that someday their dusty spaces on the auditorium floor would be filled by the Italian leather shoes of well-heeled, high-brow patrons.

A parting thought: it surely seems a little strange that A. W. Allworthy casts down poetry that alludes to Homer with a question that might be better asked of the critic: Who (s)he?

--- Joshua Kupetz
jkupetz@charter.net