http://patrickkanouse.com/blog Poetry and the Arts Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:49:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The great Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has passed. His obit at The New York Times. His One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is a classic of literature that reveals one of the dark secrets of the Soviet system. http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/08/03/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/ While I was editor of The Raintown Review, I had the good fortune to enter into a correspondence and friendship with Hugh Jones, an Indiana poet and musician. I just learned that Hugh, who had been battling cancer for some time, passed in late June. Here is one of the ... http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/07/30/hugh-jones-in-memoriam/ While reading Hardy, who is an amazing poet more worthy of attention than he normally gets, I was struck by this poem, which I quote in full: A Plaint to Man When you slowly emerged from the den of Time, And gained percipience as you grew, And fleshed you fair out of shapeless slime, Wherefore, ... http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/07/25/thomas-hardy-a-poem/ I recently read The Anathémata by David Jones, a Welsh-English poet of the 20th Century. The definition of anathémata is "things set aside or consecrated for a deity; offerings devoted to a divinity or to sacred purposes." The poem is often impenetrable, mostly due to a encyclopedic knowledge I lack ... http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/07/23/david-jones-and-the-anathemata/ As readers of my blog probably know, I am a "fan" of William Logan's criticism. Not that I agree with him all the time or agree with some of his one-line personal attacks. What I find interesting about Logan's criticism is his willingness to call it as he sees it ... http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/07/21/william-logan-under-attack-again/ While driving to work the other day, I heard this interview on NPR. Being a lover of Shakespeare and accumulating a small collection of Shakespeare biographies and criticism, I was obviously attracted to this story...and have added the book to my Amazon.com wishlist. Shakespeare sparking riots! Amazing stuff. Tangentially, I ... http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/07/07/shakespeare-riots/ If you are in NYC during this exhibit's run, see it. I disagree in several parts with The New York Times review. Turner is a master, and I envy those who will get to see this show. While I should reserve judgment of the exhibit, I find it hard to ... http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/07/05/jmw-turner-at-the-metropolitan-of-art/ Check out this artist at his website, in particular, look at the "Running the Numbers" images. I think he achieves the effect he desires as outlined in his purpose statement: This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of ... http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/07/03/chris-jordan-and-american-statistics/ An interesting, if brief, article discussing the potential reason for Stadivarius quality: wood density. http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/07/02/stradivarius-and-wood-density/ Check out my review of Pierce's Famous Last Words at Gently Read Literature. Then buy her book and enjoy! http://patrickkanouse.com/blog/2008/07/01/review-of-catherine-pierces-famous-last-words/