Philocrites

After Thanksgiving, 'Slate' turns to poetry.

by Philocrites

What a way to start the week, especially when it's not "Poetry Month"! Slate has three articles about poetry today: Adam Kirsch says Derek Walcott is the greatest living English-language poet; James Longenbach says Richard Wilbur is an "overlooked master"; and Dan Chiasson says Anne Winters is both baroque and devotedly Marxist. I have never heard of Winters before, but I have loved Wilbur's poetry for many years.

As for Walcott: He was one of three poets Mrs Philocrites and I went to see at a panel discussion and reading at Boston University earlier this fall. (The others were poetry rock star Robert Pinsky and visiting poetry demigod Adam Zagajewski.) We were embarrassed not to have purchased a copy of Walcott's new book yet, especially when we saw that everybody who wasn't chatting with Pinsky was standing in line for Zagajewski's signature. But The Prodigal was my birthday present last month, and so I am finally getting up to speed with Walcott, too.

Who's your favorite poet? I'm partial to Wislawa Szymborska; Mrs Philocrites has been on a Robert Lowell and George Herbert kick lately.

Copyright © 2004 by Philocrites | Posted 29 November 2004 at 5:24 PM

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