Poetry recommendations: Similar to Anne Carson?
November 7, 2014 10:47 AM Subscribe
Anne Carson is an oft-recommended poet/writer here on Ask.Mefi, but if she's your starting point, then where do you go?
Before any major creative-writing endeavor, I like to read through some of Anne Carson's work as inspiration (I just finished reading Autobiography of Red for at least the tenth time). While her work is still fresh each time I read it, I'm beginning to wonder what else is out there--specifically, are there any other writers/poets similar to her?
In Autobiography of Red, Carson explains that the difference Greek poet Stesichoros made on the written word was he "began to undo the latches," where the "latches of being" are adjectives. She offers examples: horses are "hollow hooved," rivers are "root silver." Things are, you could say, approached slant. And this is exactly what Carson herself does in her writing (note necessarily in regards to just adjectives) and what I love so much. She has "longing as strong as a color" and "they recognized each other like italics" and "her other arm, it was like a handful of autumn." It's playful and experimental, yet also so dead-on.
Other things I like about her work: 1.) It feels modern even though she often reflects on classic Greek or other historical writing and figures. 2.) It feels personal, like she's letting you in on her darkest secrets, but these darkest secrets aren't "I've got warts" more like "I'm having an affair with Stesichoros." She's letting you in on her secrets, but her secrets are better/more interesting/more unusual than anyone else's. Yet, it somehow also feels detached and aloof: "I'm having an affair with Stesichoros, so what. That's just a taste of it and I'm not giving you more." The detachment may also come from how intellectual the writing tends to be. 3.) She's a female poet who doesn't write about (her) children.
I know this is kind of vague. It's hard for me to articulate all the ways/reasons I appreciate her work more than anyone else's I've read. In a way, I've stopped reading as much poetry because no one can compare to her. But maybe because I've stopped reading as much poetry, I'm missing all the people who could compare to her. So who do you recommend?
Other poets I like: Celan, Mallarme, Tristan Tzara (all in translation), Bob Dylan (yeah, a songwriter, but his lyrics have that playful, experimental "unlatching"). I'm also open to suggestions for prose or prose-poetry that is similar (people may say Nabokov?).
Before any major creative-writing endeavor, I like to read through some of Anne Carson's work as inspiration (I just finished reading Autobiography of Red for at least the tenth time). While her work is still fresh each time I read it, I'm beginning to wonder what else is out there--specifically, are there any other writers/poets similar to her?
In Autobiography of Red, Carson explains that the difference Greek poet Stesichoros made on the written word was he "began to undo the latches," where the "latches of being" are adjectives. She offers examples: horses are "hollow hooved," rivers are "root silver." Things are, you could say, approached slant. And this is exactly what Carson herself does in her writing (note necessarily in regards to just adjectives) and what I love so much. She has "longing as strong as a color" and "they recognized each other like italics" and "her other arm, it was like a handful of autumn." It's playful and experimental, yet also so dead-on.
Other things I like about her work: 1.) It feels modern even though she often reflects on classic Greek or other historical writing and figures. 2.) It feels personal, like she's letting you in on her darkest secrets, but these darkest secrets aren't "I've got warts" more like "I'm having an affair with Stesichoros." She's letting you in on her secrets, but her secrets are better/more interesting/more unusual than anyone else's. Yet, it somehow also feels detached and aloof: "I'm having an affair with Stesichoros, so what. That's just a taste of it and I'm not giving you more." The detachment may also come from how intellectual the writing tends to be. 3.) She's a female poet who doesn't write about (her) children.
I know this is kind of vague. It's hard for me to articulate all the ways/reasons I appreciate her work more than anyone else's I've read. In a way, I've stopped reading as much poetry because no one can compare to her. But maybe because I've stopped reading as much poetry, I'm missing all the people who could compare to her. So who do you recommend?
Other poets I like: Celan, Mallarme, Tristan Tzara (all in translation), Bob Dylan (yeah, a songwriter, but his lyrics have that playful, experimental "unlatching"). I'm also open to suggestions for prose or prose-poetry that is similar (people may say Nabokov?).
Eugenio Montale? I can't say I have a favorite translator of his but maybe avoid Galassi as he tends to apply a too modernist take on Montale's work.
posted by lydhre at 11:42 AM on November 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by lydhre at 11:42 AM on November 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Difficult to think of another poet with that distinctive experimental flavor that Carson has. An assortment of fiction writer's come to mind, many by David Markson, Steve Tomasula, Vas and The Book of Portraiture come to mind. As for poets that perhaps you might like, have you read Marina Tsvetaeva, Ai, or Ilya Kaminsky. Different style than Carson, but you may find them inviting in other ways. Others writers to look up that may be of interest, Lidia Yuknavitch, Lance Olsen, or Carole Maso, whom I'm assuming you've already heard of.
posted by Sir BoBoMonkey Pooflinger Esquire III at 2:00 PM on November 7, 2014
posted by Sir BoBoMonkey Pooflinger Esquire III at 2:00 PM on November 7, 2014
I've always thought Lydia Davis and Anne Carson similarly combine being personal and playful and intellectual and aloof. she's not a poet, she writes very, very short stories, but this is probably close enough.
and maybe, maybe Sharon Olds. she's more visceral, and occasionally there are children, but she's wicked smart and light of touch and well worth considering anyway.
have you read much Gertrude Stein? oh, and Djuna Barnes is probably also worth adding to this sort of a list. and Ludmilla Petrushevskaya and Tatiana Tolstaya, for their short stories.
posted by spindle at 9:45 PM on November 8, 2014
and maybe, maybe Sharon Olds. she's more visceral, and occasionally there are children, but she's wicked smart and light of touch and well worth considering anyway.
have you read much Gertrude Stein? oh, and Djuna Barnes is probably also worth adding to this sort of a list. and Ludmilla Petrushevskaya and Tatiana Tolstaya, for their short stories.
posted by spindle at 9:45 PM on November 8, 2014
Janet Malcolm's writing gives me the same (great) feeling of refreshing cold water to the face that Anne Carson's work does, even though Malcolm is not a poet. Both make brilliant insights in artful ways.
posted by sallybrown at 2:20 PM on December 18, 2014
posted by sallybrown at 2:20 PM on December 18, 2014
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posted by xueexueg at 11:09 AM on November 7, 2014 [1 favorite]