Gin Before Breakfast: The Dilemma of the Poet in the NewsroomThis edifying volume presents mini-biographies of key British and American poets who at one time or another worked as journalists. Poets covered range from the famous to the obscure: Whittier to Whitman, Kipling to Bryant, Coleridge to Crane. Writing in a direct, straightforward style W. Dale Nelson tells each writer’s story, often relating how the poet in question felt about the journalistic experience and its impact upon creative work. Archbold MacLeish wrote “young poets are advised by their elders to avoid the practice of journalism as they would set socks and gin before breakfast.” On the other hand, Leonard Woolf suggests that Hemingway’s strong spare prose often “bears the mark of good journalism.” The author raises provocative issues about developments in poetic form, effects of printing and communication on poetry, and the relationship of poetry and cities. He also looks at how poetic diction has been influenced by the language of reportage and the basic difference in the purport of journalism versus that of poetry. |
Contents
A Wonderful and Ponderous Book 1 | 22 |
Something More Than Ordinary Journalistic Prose | 42 |
Anything but MatterofFact Life | 65 |
Copyright | |
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Allen American Archibald MacLeish asked Autobiography Bergman Biographia Birkenhead Blunden Bold Boston British Broadway Journal Brooklyn brother Brougham called Carl Sandburg Charles Chicago Coleridge's column correspondent critic daily dollars Eagle Edgar Allan Poe editing editor Edmund Clarence Stedman English Garrison Graham's Hemingway Henry Hugh MacDiarmid Hunt's interview issue James John journalist Kipling's Kunitz Lahore later Leaves of Grass Leigh Hunt Letters libel Library of Congress London Luce Lucky Poet MacLeish Papers magazine Morning newspaper Niven Park Benjamin Parrington Pickard Poe's poet's Poetry and Prose political Post President Press published readers reporter Review Reynolds Rudyard Kipling Samuel Taylor Coleridge Scottish Solitary Singer Southern Literary Messenger Stephen Crane story Stuart Thomas told took Uncollected Poetry Univ verse Walt Whitman Walt Whitman's America week weekly Wertheim and Sorrentino White Whittier William Cullen Bryant words writing wrote York Aurora