Robert Duncan (the American poet): C or D, S/D, etc.

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Not just, or even primarily, as a poet, but as a thinker as well. I find much about his world view, to the extent that I understand it, bizarre; but I feel I have something to learn from it. I suspect most of you won't be familiar with him, but I think that some of his aesthetic musings would fit in well with ILX concerns, in unexpected ways.

It's difficult for me not to be vague about this, since I haven't actually read him much for a while now, but I am still anxiously awaiting the publication of his H.D. Book, which contains much, if not most, of his more important theoretical writings.

As for the poetry, I don't like most modern/contemporary poetry anymore, and most of his is no exception, though I do find that particularly lines from his poems have stuck with me over the years and grown more meaningful. "Hell is the realm of God's self-loathing," or something like that.

Rockist Scientist, Friday, 4 October 2002 14:07 (twenty-three years ago)

dont know his stuff, but it is now added to my list of 'books/authors to get'.
so, neither classic nor dud yet.

donna (donna), Friday, 4 October 2002 21:34 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...
Here's a link to a pdf file of an earlier edition of the HD Book, something that is supposed to be published in an updated version, eventually. I didn't even know this file existed online, until now.

Robert Duncan's H.D. Book, from an 1984 edition

Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 11 December 2002 19:56 (twenty-two years ago)

seven years pass...

Finally published for real (or will be shortly):

http://www.amazon.com/H-D-Collected-Writings-Robert-Duncan/dp/0520260759/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1287625180&sr=1-2

I have to admit I don't think I own any more of his own poetry at this point (though I still like some H.D.), but he interests me more as a thinker anyway. Very remote from my own view of tings, but so odd and I think worth the time.

_Rudipherous_, Thursday, 21 October 2010 01:44 (fourteen years ago)

When I was in high school, I was buying old issues of literary journals like Caterpillar and Io because of the H.D. Book content they contained.

_Rudipherous_, Thursday, 21 October 2010 01:49 (fourteen years ago)

two months pass...

Here's some more background. It sounds like the issues of who had the rights to Duncan's work got a bit messy:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/trade-shows/article/14828-collected-consciousness-.html

_Rudipherous_, Sunday, 26 December 2010 16:47 (fourteen years ago)

I guess I should have hid those ugly urls.

_Rudipherous_, Sunday, 26 December 2010 17:06 (fourteen years ago)


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