Mike, those are really nasty questions. To the first, a corporate response: most of the poets in Rebel Angels. Had I been doing the book, I'd have confined the selections to half a dozen writers. Of course then it wouldn't have sold as it did in creative writing programs--as opposed to the general reader who gave it a big yawn. I think the most under-rated is Greg Williamson, but that's a function of his youth and bashfulness. I'll be expressing my awe when I introduce him as my guest later this month. I think a number of us have a good chance at lodging something where it will stick, but our only sure bet for the cannon is Master Gwynn, who is in Dr. Johnson's phrase "that rarest man of genius, a true satirist." A very unfashionable thing to be these days, I might add. Let me add as well that Tim Steele has written poems that have really enriched my life. Now let's hear everybody else's nominations. --Tim
P.S. What a parochial response! I've ignored the other side of the pond. Dick Davis and Wendy Cope, like Gwynn, are assured of their spots.
|