Customer Reviews

The Castle of Indolence: On Poetry, Poets, and Poetasters

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Disch writes criticism that makes you wince even when you agree with what he's saying. It takes a special writer to do this and still be able to keep the quality of his work above water, and Disch does this admirably. The introduction alone is almost worth the price of the entire book, as he proceeds to rip every aspect of the contemporary poetry scene that deserves it. The book alsoo contains a number of reviews of contemporary poets and books and even when he likes something it don't come easy...and who could blame him? In this day and age when everyone can become a poet at whim, it's about time to start taking a hard look at what's coming out of people's journals and seeing what's what.

An incredible, tight bok of criticism that will engage you even if you don't know all of the poets he's talking about. A great example of how to citique invincibly.

The Castle of Indolence is criticism as it should be, not only for what it does not contain (recondite jargon, fawning flattery, faint praise in lieu of damnation, meaningless ad-copy fluff, etc.) but because it is downright entertaining. A page-turner, I read it in a couple of sittings, and lost track of how many times I laughed aloud. If there were more people like Thomas Disch around, there'd be a lot more poetry worth reading--or at least a lot less drek!

I love poetry! Unfortunately, I read mostly old (think Edmund Spenser) poetry. I read this book because I'm interested in the author and because I'm interested in learning more about contemporary poetry.

The mark of a good critic is that he leads you away from the bad stuff and towards the good stuff. Because of this book I will definitely look at some authors I'd never heard of. I've never read any of the poems reviewed here so I'm taking it on faith that Thomas M. Disch knows what he's talking about.

The reason to place faith in Mr. Disch is his wonderful facility with words and his good humor. He writes well. He is quite entertaining. And he does not give in to praising those he does not feel merit praise.

Read this book even if you don't care about poetry. Thomas M. Disch is that good of a writer.

Disch's comments can be harsh, comical, and hard-biting, but they are always honest. This book provides a collection of essays by a poetry critic who does not fear of insulting the poet. Straightforward and witty, these essays will change the way you read and appreciate poetry. His diction is delicate and precise, his style is unmatched by any contemporary critic. It is an awesome and powerful collection- one you will enjoy, and one you will remember. Its a great book, and an honest outlook on the state of poetry today!

Disch's comments can be harsh, comical, and hard-biting, but they are always honest. This book provides a collection of essays by a poetry critic who does not fear of insulting the poet. Straightforward and witty, these essays will change the way you read and appreciate poetry. His diction is delicate and precise, his style is unmatched by any contemporary critic. It is an awesome and powerful collection- one you will enjoy, and one you will remember. Its a great book, and an honest outlook on the state of poetry today!

however, I don't think I share his taste in poetry. He dismisses many well-known poets because of the anemic state of literature today. Although I agree with him about the current stagnation in poetry, I don't think I will dive into the alternatives that he suggests.

Disch is one of the few reviewers unafraid to skewer his subjects when necessary. In am forever in his debut for introducing me to Kenneth Fearing, who must be the greatest unknown American poet of this century.

Ho ho, this a good one. The Castle of Indolence is a collection of prolific cross-genre writer Thomas M. Disch's reviews and musings on poetry and the business of poetry, which is today mainly operated by academia (or as I like to call it, Creative Writing, Inc.) Few Americans today care much about contemporary poetry, and Disch puts the blame squarely on the university network and its policies of schmooze and positive, senseless reviews of banal writing (e.g. ". . . [this poet's] sense of her subject is like her sense of time: projection, identification, and a complete taking-on of the moment . . .") He takes a few cracks at poetlust for NEA grants, and hits it right on the head when he calls creative writing workshops places where "self-esteem" is taught--and not much else.

No, this is not a nice book. Disch is prone to making jaw-droppingly awful statements; he contends that contemporary poets exhibit a "sense of entitlement" just like "the homeless and other self-styled victims of the System." Poetry reviews are always positive because poets are "regarded as handicapped writers whose work must be treated with a tender condescension, such as one accords the athletic achievements of basketball players confined to wheelchairs." Perhaps it takes a hard-hearted person to jab at the naked emperor's flesh? If so, Disch fits the bill.

The Castle of Indolence is divided into five sections, each prefaced by essays concerning the subjects mentioned above. The remainder is given over to reviews of various books of poetry and criticism (some positive.) One may agree or disagree with Disch's stabs at the work of, say, critic Marjorie Perloff and poet Brad Leithauser. These are worth reading if only to come to the last essay, "Reviewing Poetry: A Retrospect," a hilarious little piece which shows just how juvenile the crybaby poetry world can be. Disch calls Leithauser "the Prom King of poetry," in response, Leithouser includes in his novel a child character named Tommy Disch who drowns himself in a toilet bowl. Heh heh. If only poetry could be as much fun as literary politics!

Poetry has lost its audience. Disch claims that poetry workshops encourage indolence. English poets learned their craft translating Latin and Greek poetry in school. The author cites the sheer lyric loveliness of the poems of Kathleen Raine. Peter Whigham's surest claim to poetic fame is as a translator of Catullus and other classical poets. Whigham was in fealty to Ezra Pound.

Kenneth Fearing wrote genre fiction. Fearing's poems are sort of proto-Pop art, but what they lack is a persona. In the beginning Fearing's critical reception was disenchantment. Many poets have exciting alternate careers. For the most part, the high productivity poet is a thing of the past. Good poets do tend to be hard workers. Disch does complain that poets have a free lunch mentality. Poetry is not a route to money. Poets, as contrasted to novelists, have artistic longevity. Poets tend to be less given to alcoholism.

Vikram Seth and James Merrill have produced long narrative poems. In modern times the form is unusual. Long poems have also been produced by Ezra Pound, Marilyn Hacker, John Berryman, and A.R. Ammons. Disch asserts that country living produces longer thoughts. THE GOLDEN GATE by Vikram Seth is set in San Francisco. Seth emulates Pushkin.

Christopher Fry was a practitioner of verse drama. Thomas Hardy wrote THE DYNASTS, T.S. Eliot, MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL. Fry wrote civic pageants, operas for children. Fry's first full-length play was THE FIRSBORN. The strengths of the play are the strengths of classic theater. Fry, as someone who pleases the actors, is on par with Wilde, Sheridan, Congreve, and Shaw. Fry's LADY'S NOT FOR BURNING still gets revived.

James Joyce urged silence, exile, cunning in the early days of modernism. poets are authorities on death. Americans are squeamish about death, but not poets. Raymond Carver's poems may be enjoyed for their anecdotal value. Charles Bukowski's work has similar appeal. A creative writing course cannot teach someone to be a first class poet. Disch believes that Albert Goldbarth is one of the most considerable poets. He uses flamboyant language, but his primary gift is visual. While Goldbarth is expansive, Philip Levine, another good poet, is not. Levine's work is terse, self-effacing. John Hollander of all living poets may be the most masterful. Hollander understands that stamina is a factor in greatness in poetry.