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Can Poetry Matter?: Essays on Poetry and American Culture

Can Poetry Matter?: Essays on Poetry and American Culture is a thought-provoking compilation that examines the relevance and influence of poetry within the context of American culture. The essays within this volume discuss the importance of poetry, its ability to reflect and shape societal values, and its enduring presence in the American literary landscape. more

Author

Dana Gioia
Dana Gioia

Dana Gioia, born on December 24, 1950, is an accomplished American poet known for his profound emotions and rich imagination in his works. more

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“It is time some genius should appear to reconstitute the shattered picture of the world. He should live in the continual presence of all experience, and respect it; he should at the same time understand nature, the ground of that experience; and he should also have a delicate sense for the ideal echoes of his own passions, and for all the colours of his possible happiness. All that can inspire a poet is contained in this task, and nothing less than this task would exhaust a poet’s inspiration. We may hail this needed genius from afar. Like the poets in Dante’s limbo, when Virgil returns among them, we may salute him, saying: Onorate l’altissimo poeta. Honour the most high poet, honour the highest possible poet. But this supreme poet is in limbo still.”

“Contrary to implicit tenets of the green movement, not all that is natural is beautiful, and not all that is beautiful is natural. Maybe that's why the world needs poets. Not to interpret what is plain and obvious, but to help us take pause and reflect on the beauty of people, places, and ideas—things we might otherwise take for granted. Simple beauty that emanates from simple truths.”

“এক সন্ধ্যায় কলেজ স্ট্রিট কফিহাউসে একটা টেবিলের সামনে একা বসে বন্ধুদের জন্য অপেক্ষা করছি। হঠাৎ কবি বিনয় মজুমদার এসে মুখোমুখি বসে বললেন, 'হ্যাঁ মশাই, আমি যা জানি, তা-ই তো আমার জ্ঞান?' সায় দিতেই তিনি তেমনই হঠাৎ উঠে গেলেন। কিন্তু তখনই আমার চমক জেগেছিল। জ্ঞান জিনিসটার সরল ব্যাখ্যা আর কী হতে পারে! এইজন্যই কবিদের বলা হয় ক্রান্তদর্শী। স্তূপাকার জ্ঞানই আমাদের অভিজ্ঞতা। তার থেকে একটুখানি বেছে নিয়ে ভাঙচুর করার ব্যাপারটাই আসলে শিল্প এবং শেষাবধি তার পরিণাম একটা আখ্যান, যা গল্প (fiction) নামে পরিচিত।”