Michael Schiavo has written a very passionate and very negative review of Matthew Dickman and his poetry.
For the past several days I've been thinking about Schiavo's review and have just posted a response to it on HTMLGIANT
If you're interested then check it out here
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4 comments:
Thank you. I have read neither Schiavo's nor Dickman's poems, and don't expect I will, after the little negative escapade over on his blog. But you're right: art does not serve social ends, much less national ends. That view is limited and damaging. I'm on principle against negative reviews, simply because I don't want to waste my time on them. (It's much better to damn with faint praise, right?) But I think Schiavo's assumption that a particular authentic Americanism is valuable in poetry is kind of creepy. What if the American tree is not American after all?
Ruan (I've posted this over at HTMLGIANT as well): Thanks for your critique of my critique. Of course, we're veering very far off the point if we have a critique of your critique of my critique. Then we're just talking in a room of mirrors.
But all this -- the personal "anonymous" attacks on my blog and now your public professional critique of my essay -- which I appreciate you putting your name on and putting out there -- still avoids the elephant: you say nothing of Matthew Dickman's work. What did you think of the book?
Laura: I don't think a particular authentic Americanness is valuable in poetry except in poetry that's positioning itself like that, as this book is trying. It says it is open to everyone but it is really open only to the person who wrote it. I'd be curious on your take should you ever come across the book.
And I think I misspelled your name. Apologies, apologies, apologies. Day after St. Patrick's, etc.
Michael,
Thanks for your comment.
And I agree with you about anonymous posters. (Cowards!)
I can’t say anything about Dickman’s book because, as you might have guessed, I haven’t read it.
But, really, with respect to what I’ve written about your review whatever I think or do not think of Dickman and/or his work is besides the point
Rauan (Ron)
p.s. no stress about the misspelling of my name. happens all the time. me writing "Christ" instead of "Chris" was much worse...
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