Howard Nemerov
Howard Nemerov
Howard Nemerovwas an American poet. He was twice Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1988 to 1990. For The Collected Poems of Howard Nemerov, he won the National Book Award for Poetry, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and Bollingen Prize...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth29 February 1920
CountryUnited States of America
mind purpose firsts
Obvious enough that generalities work to protect the mind from the great outdoors; is it possible that this was in fact their first purpose?
literature rhyming rhyme
Once in awhile you have a thought, and you rhyme it.
class literature serious
For a Jewish Puritan of the middle class, the novel is serious, the novel is work, the novel is conscientious application why, the novel is practically the retail business all over again.
facts responsible cases
The historian is terribly responsible to what he can discern are the facts of the case, but he's nothing if he doesn't make out a case.
plot happens
I have a plot, but not much happens.
literature narrative argument
I do insist on making what I hope is sense so there's always a coherent narrative or argument that the reader can follow.
literature telling-stories modern
When modern writers gave up telling stories, they gave up the greatest thing we had.
fake-people real thinking
Robert Frost had always said you mustn't think of the last line first, or it's only a fake poem, not a real one. I'm inclined to agree.
literature may pages
It may be said that poems are in one way like icebergs: only about a third of their bulk appears above the surface of the page.
political literature want
I've never read a political poem that's accomplished anything. Poetry makes things happen, but rarely what the poet wants.
art writing thinking
I think there's one thing which distinguishes our art - we don't consider. We don't think. We write a little verse because it comes to us.
funny life writing
I would talk in iambic pentameter if it were easier.
sensual logic language
Language is remarkable, except under the extreme constraints of mathematics and logic, it never can talk only about what it's supposed to talk about but is always spreading around.
nice two giving
The nice thing about the Bible is it doesn't give you too many facts. Two an a half lines and it tells you the whole story and that leaves you a great deal of freedom to elaborate on how it might have happened.