December 11th, 2008 / 2:04 pm
 I Like __ A Lot

I like Russell Edson A Lot

Russell Edson is really old. He was born in 1935. I like a lot of things about Russell Edson but one thing his writing is not, is old. His stuff is always really fresh and modern, full of sadness and amazing images. Sometimes you read writers who really inspire you to write. When I read Russell Edson I don’t feel like writing because he’s already done it.

Russell Edson is having fun when he writes. In an interview he said, “I have no formal background, as you suggest, in anything. I just make up things as I go along without a program. It’s more fun that way.”

What I like is that his writing is really strange, but branching off the strangness is dozens of feelings. I think strange writing or surreal writing has to be done well. I read lots of stuff that is strange, but that’s all it is. It’s just fucked up with no where to go.

I really like this poem by Russell Edson. Every time I read it I love it more. I want to live in this poem. I want to meet the Closet-Man. I can feel and taste this poem and it’s dreamy and mysterious and it’s a shape and it’s wonderful.

THE REASON WHY THE
CLOSET-MAN IS NEVER SAD

This is the house of the closet-man. There are no rooms, just hallways and closets.

Things happen in rooms. He does not like things to happen.

… Closets, you take things out of closets, you put things into closets, and nothing happens…

Why do you have such a strange house?

I am the closet-man, I am either going or coming, and I am never sad.

But why do you have such a strange house?

I am never sad…

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24 Comments

  1. December 11th, 2008 / 6:29 pm peter b—

      thank you shane. for some reason I’d almost forgotten about russell.

  2. December 11th, 2008 / 2:29 pm peter b—

      thank you shane. for some reason I’d almost forgotten about russell.

  3. December 11th, 2008 / 6:35 pm pr—

      nice! i’d never heard of him.

  4. December 11th, 2008 / 2:35 pm pr—

      nice! i’d never heard of him.

  5. December 11th, 2008 / 6:55 pm gazpromdate—

      wow. i really liked that. i hadn’t heard of him before either. can anyone recommend a specific book of his?

  6. December 11th, 2008 / 2:55 pm gazpromdate—

      wow. i really liked that. i hadn’t heard of him before either. can anyone recommend a specific book of his?

  7. December 11th, 2008 / 6:58 pm darby—

      the tunnel

  8. December 11th, 2008 / 6:58 pm Shane Jones—

      He has a book of selected poems that covers a lot of his stuff. It’s called “The Tunnel.”

  9. December 11th, 2008 / 2:58 pm darby—

      the tunnel

  10. December 11th, 2008 / 2:58 pm Shane Jones—

      He has a book of selected poems that covers a lot of his stuff. It’s called “The Tunnel.”

  11. December 11th, 2008 / 7:02 pm Brad Green—

      “I read lots of stuff that is strange, but that’s all it is. It’s just fucked up with no where to go.”

      Here. Here. Also, I’d never heard of him as well. Thanks for the post.

  12. December 11th, 2008 / 3:02 pm Brad Green—

      “I read lots of stuff that is strange, but that’s all it is. It’s just fucked up with no where to go.”

      Here. Here. Also, I’d never heard of him as well. Thanks for the post.

  13. December 11th, 2008 / 7:43 pm gazpromdate—

      thank you. i’ll check it out.

  14. December 11th, 2008 / 3:43 pm gazpromdate—

      thank you. i’ll check it out.

  15. December 11th, 2008 / 9:41 pm daniel bailey—

      russell edson is badass.

      he has a poem about removing pigs organs and putting the organs into another pig and how it’s a neverending cycle. holy god, it’s so badass.

  16. December 11th, 2008 / 5:41 pm daniel bailey—

      russell edson is badass.

      he has a poem about removing pigs organs and putting the organs into another pig and how it’s a neverending cycle. holy god, it’s so badass.

  17. December 11th, 2008 / 10:10 pm Alicia Pernell—

      thanks for writing about mr. edson in a way that doesn’t make me want to over look it. i want to read some of his poetry now.

      now.

      why do i drink coffee? i love drinking tea so much more.

  18. December 11th, 2008 / 6:10 pm Alicia Pernell—

      thanks for writing about mr. edson in a way that doesn’t make me want to over look it. i want to read some of his poetry now.

      now.

      why do i drink coffee? i love drinking tea so much more.

  19. December 11th, 2008 / 10:31 pm daniel bailey—
  20. December 11th, 2008 / 6:31 pm daniel bailey—
  21. December 11th, 2008 / 11:16 pm Shane Jones—

      daniel – that poem is ridiculous. thanks for the heads up.

  22. December 11th, 2008 / 7:16 pm Shane Jones—

      daniel – that poem is ridiculous. thanks for the heads up.

  23. December 12th, 2008 / 12:12 am KevinS—

      I got into Edson when, after seeing James Tate read a couple years ago, a friend said, “If you like the weird James Tate stuff, you should read Edson.” I got “The Tormented Mirror” first and it is awesome! The Tunnel of course too. I thought the Rooster’s Wife was just okay compared to some of his other books. I have been lucky enough to find a couple of his chapbooks too.
      I even emailed him a couple of years back (before “Rooster’s Wife”) to see if he’d want to publish a chapbook through Future Tense, but he replied and said he was spoken for. Dang!

  24. December 11th, 2008 / 8:12 pm KevinS—

      I got into Edson when, after seeing James Tate read a couple years ago, a friend said, “If you like the weird James Tate stuff, you should read Edson.” I got “The Tormented Mirror” first and it is awesome! The Tunnel of course too. I thought the Rooster’s Wife was just okay compared to some of his other books. I have been lucky enough to find a couple of his chapbooks too.
      I even emailed him a couple of years back (before “Rooster’s Wife”) to see if he’d want to publish a chapbook through Future Tense, but he replied and said he was spoken for. Dang!