April 7th, 2009 / 2:19 pm
Power Quote
Justin Taylor
Power Quote
Power Quote: Ezra Pound
“The man of understanding can no more sit quiet and resigned while his country lets its literature decay, and lets good writing meet with contempt, than a good doctor could sit quiet and contented while some ignorant child was infecting itself with tuberculosis under the impression that it was merely eating jam tarts.”
—ABC of Reading
[PS- hat tip to my man, Michael Signorelli, who emailed me the quote just now. Do you have any idea how rad it is to have an editor who sends letters that begin: “Have you been reading Pound today? I started up on ABC of Reading again…” ? Well, allow me to give you an idea: it is very, very rad.]
Tags: ezra pound, Michael Signorelli, Power Quote
that is rad. at my job people just yell all the time. even in their emails they are screaming.
that is rad. at my job people just yell all the time. even in their emails they are screaming.
Actually, I have no idea what it’s like to have an editor, period. But it sounds like you’ve found a good one. Congrats on the two book deal, btw.
Actually, I have no idea what it’s like to have an editor, period. But it sounds like you’ve found a good one. Congrats on the two book deal, btw.
hey, thanks
hey, thanks
I don’t like that quote actually so much. sorry i could not sit quiet i guess. but I guess why is it glorifies a hatred of bad art? It’s funny that Shane is commenting about people screaming mad, when that is what the quote is saying everyone should be doing. I may hate an art but that art may have changed someone else’s life and who am i? and what’s good? and what is an understading man, a man of understanding? Passive people can understand. Some people of understanding care more about things that matter like tuberculosis prevention than to care about some words that don’t move them but move others. All this to say, etc. that I’ve had some coffee today and I thought the same as Shya, it’s rad and weird to ‘have an editor’ or it is just weird, wierd? weird like let me run this comment by my agent who’ll pass it on to my editor and publicist and we’ll all conference call each other and come up with some kind of message on my behalf that fits into average people’s heads magnificently and then sip our petite syrah.
I don’t like that quote actually so much. sorry i could not sit quiet i guess. but I guess why is it glorifies a hatred of bad art? It’s funny that Shane is commenting about people screaming mad, when that is what the quote is saying everyone should be doing. I may hate an art but that art may have changed someone else’s life and who am i? and what’s good? and what is an understading man, a man of understanding? Passive people can understand. Some people of understanding care more about things that matter like tuberculosis prevention than to care about some words that don’t move them but move others. All this to say, etc. that I’ve had some coffee today and I thought the same as Shya, it’s rad and weird to ‘have an editor’ or it is just weird, wierd? weird like let me run this comment by my agent who’ll pass it on to my editor and publicist and we’ll all conference call each other and come up with some kind of message on my behalf that fits into average people’s heads magnificently and then sip our petite syrah.
very LOL.
very LOL.
Pound was a hell of a poet. Fucking shame he was a Fascist sympathizer and all around asshat
Pound was a hell of a poet. Fucking shame he was a Fascist sympathizer and all around asshat
yes, Darby, that’s exactly how it happens. You’re onto us.
yes, Darby, that’s exactly how it happens. You’re onto us.
wots a petite syrah?
asshats. I want an asshat.
Pound was great though, in that tradition of fantastic thinkers with dodgy political affiliations… hello, Knut Hamsun and Johnny Ramone.
wots a petite syrah?
asshats. I want an asshat.
Pound was great though, in that tradition of fantastic thinkers with dodgy political affiliations… hello, Knut Hamsun and Johnny Ramone.
I too could use an asshat.
As a student (a billion years ago) I swooned over the Cantos. Then I learned of pound’s (and Elliot’s) political affiliations. It changed the work for me. There’s a sadness over it now: the wiff of smoke, the hiss of a shower, the whistle of a rocket flying high… arbeit macht frei my ass. Pound brings me pain, and love and hate and death.
Johnny Ramone isn’t a real Ramone. There’s a reason Joey wrote “The KKK Took My Baby Away”.
I too could use an asshat.
As a student (a billion years ago) I swooned over the Cantos. Then I learned of pound’s (and Elliot’s) political affiliations. It changed the work for me. There’s a sadness over it now: the wiff of smoke, the hiss of a shower, the whistle of a rocket flying high… arbeit macht frei my ass. Pound brings me pain, and love and hate and death.
Johnny Ramone isn’t a real Ramone. There’s a reason Joey wrote “The KKK Took My Baby Away”.