A great many people seem to think writing poetry is worthwhile, even though it pays next to nothing and is not as widely read as it should be. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
A life is not sufficiently elevated for poetry, unless, of course, the life has been made into an art. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
And at least in poetry you should feel free to lie. That is, not to lie, but to imagine what you want, to follow the direction of the poem. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
And Robert Lowell, of course - in his poems, we're not located in his actual life. We're located more in the externals, in the journalistic facts of his life. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
And yet, in a culture like ours, which is given to material comforts, and addicted to forms of entertainment that offer immediate gratification, it is surprising that so much poetry is written. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
But I tend to think of the expressive part of me as rather tedious - never curious or responsive, but blind and self-serving. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
From the reader's view, a poem is more demanding than prose. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
I certainly can't speak for all cultures or all societies, but it's clear that in America, poetry serves a very marginal purpose. It's not part of the cultural mainstream. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
I tend to like poems that engage me - that is to say, which do not bore me. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
I think the best American poetry is the poetry that utilizes the resources of poetry rather than exploits the defects or triumphs of the poet's personality. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
I would say that American poetry has always been a poetry of personal testimony. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
Nothing is the destiny of everyone, it is our commonness made dumb. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
Pain is filtered in a poem so that it becomes finally, in the end, pleasure. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
Poetry is, first and last, language - the rest is filler. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
There's a certain point, when you're writing autobiographical stuff, where you don't want to misrepresent yourself. It would be dishonest. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0
Usually a life turned into a poem is misrepresented. Mark Strand American Poet More Mark Strand Quotes 0