Gathers some of the most intimate, personal writing on life and the
art of poetry by a crucial figure in late twentieth-century American
letters
Celebrated by both the Black Mountain poets in the 1950s and 1960s and
the Language poets in the 1970s and 1980s, Larry Eigner's poems occupy
an important place in American poetry and poetics, and his reputation
and legacy grow seemingly stronger with each passing year. Letters to
Jargon collects all of the known correspondence between Larry Eigner
and Jonathan Williams, the influential publisher of Jargon Society Press
and himself a poet.
Eigner's correspondence with Williams began in the early 1950s, as the
two were in conversation over the manuscript of On My Eyes, published
by Jargon in 1960. Their correspondence continued for many years
thereafter, extending into the period when Eigner's work started to gain
recognition from the nascent movement that would become known as
"Language" writing.
The letters are quite broad in their range of reference and provide a
fuller context for Eigner's poetry and thinking. Eigner and Williams
discuss their own poetic practices, including the source material for
specific poems, general writing practices, and small press and little
magazine publication. This volume offers considerable insight into their
shared literary communities as Eigner reports on his readings in
contemporary poetry and poetics, as well as his correspondence and
contact with other poets including Charles Olson, Vincent Ferrini,
Robert Duncan, Denise Levertov, Robert Grenier, and Barrett Watten.
Also recorded are Eigner's reactions to current events and explications
of his own poems, including the contexts for appropriated lines and
distinctions of character spacing. Eigner also shares with Williams
details of his home life, his financial difficulties and the daily
challenges of his cerebral palsy. Finally, the book features a series of
images of the original letters, enabling readers to see Eigner's
specific material-textual practices.
