[Michael Juster]

William Logan has gained a reputation as the hit man of contemporary literary criticism. Although I often find his analysis quite over the top and contentious for the sake of being contentious, his repeated challenges to consensus assessments of contemporary poets are often a bracing and welcome slap of cold water. In the June issue of The New Criterion, he takes on Richard Wilbur, Thom Gunn and Derek Walcott and trashes all three. I have some sympathy with the section on Gunn, but do believe he is quite unfair to Wilbur and Walcott (which is not balanced out by his admirable contempt for Jorie Graham). Provovative reading, in any case (a frequent feature of this magazine, which, regrettably, I do not believe has a site).

[Alex Pepple]

Hi Michael,

I thought (almost) everyone has a site these days, and a quick search shows that there is a New Criterion Online, & what's more that article is online -- I plan to get back to it:
http://www.newcriterion.com/

...Alex.

[kday1]

Michael,

Thanks so much for recommending this--I was spellbound, as I always am when Logan hits his stride.

He went easier on Gregg than some are, tho.

I still like Wilbur.

Great site--great magazine. I'm going to subscribe to it.

Did you look at the poetry, tho? I thought it was a little off the mark.

------------------
blessings,kday

[Michael Juster]

Oops! Caught behind the times technologically again.

[Michael Juster]

By the way, as long as I am shamelessly shilling for The New Criterion, I also strongly recommend John Simon's essay on translating Rilke in the January 2000 issue. It starts off as a review of William H. Gass' intermittently interesting book on translating Rilke, but then accelerates beyond its original confines and becomes a great essay on translation more generally.

[Stan Hedges]

Michael,

Let me add my thanks for bringing William Logan to my attention (as well as The New Criterion site)!

[Alan Reynolds]

Michael,

Thanks for the lead to the New Criterion. I think you are in Europe at the moment, let me know if you're coming into Amsterdam and I'll buy you a beer.


Alex,

Thaks for the site for New Criterion. Also a cold one waiting here for you

Alan

[Paul Deane]

I don't think you should take Logan's
comments at Wilbur as negatively as they
sound on their face.

Looking at some of his other reviews
in back issues, he specializes in witty
skewerings of poetic narcissisms; his
comments on Wilbur are just about the
most positive things I found him saying
about anybody (it boiled down to:
"Wilbur, couldn't you keep it up instead
of giving us your leavings in this
latest volume?")

Would be interesting to see him give
wholehearted praise to anything.

If I ever publish a volume of poems,
I shall keep my head down and hope
he picks bigger game to bag.

[Michael Juster]

Alan: Thanks for the offer. I didn't get any closer than Paris this time, but keep that offer open and I'll take you up. Mike