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Quote by Gerald Stern

“There are hundreds of prisons - sexual, political, cultural. But being a prisoner also gives you impetus.”

Quote by Gerald Stern

Author

Gerald Stern is an American poet born on February 22, 1925. His poetry is known for its unique style and profound insights into life. more

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“Tolstoy is one of the greatest artists in history, but he finally became infused with the idea of the uselessness of art. He gave himself to his own kind of religion.”

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“In America it's a particular problem. The artist, particularly the poet, is just unacknowledged; if I can use that dumb word. Maybe it has always been that way. Maybe the only way he or she can be acknowledged is to be connected with some movement, be it religious or political.”

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“I've spent hundreds of hours working over words, and part of me, a large part of me, has a desire to do something else.”

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“I've been active in a minor way compared to professional activists. I was a labor leader. I led two labor strikes. I've manipulated boards. I've led marches. I've done many things.”

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“I've been trying to come to terms with what I am and what I do and what I believe in. And I see that I'm not happy with - well, it's almost as if being a poet is not enough for me. It's too late for me to do more now. I did what I could in a small way. I did it as theater, too, to be honest.”

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“I've changed over my writing life. If I can generalize, I would say that the more recent poems - believe it or not - are more pointedly political; although, if the earlier poems were more existential, they were still political; though, in their own way, had a complicated presence.”

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“I feel that my job, as an artist, is to disturb the peace. And to disturb it intellectually, linguistically, politically and literally.”

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“It's just that very few poets disturb the peace to any degree.”

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