John Berryman
John Berryman
John Allyn Berrymanwas an American poet and scholar, born in McAlester, Oklahoma. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and was considered a key figure in the Confessional school of poetry. His best-known work is The Dream Songs...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth25 October 1914
CountryUnited States of America
song comfort understood
These Songs are not meant to be understood, you understand. They are only meant to terrify & comfort.
writing ruthless
One must be ruthless with one's own writing or someone else will be.
pals poet
Them lady poets must not marry, pal.
world care becoming
This world is gradually becoming a place Where I do not care to be any more.
writing want yeats
I didn't want to be like Yeats; I wanted to be Yeats.
writing trying technique
You should always be trying to write a poem you are unable to write, a poem you lack the technique, the language, the courage to achieve. Otherwise you're merely imitating yourself, going nowhere, because that's always easiest.
artist ideas achievement
I do strongly feel that among the greatest pieces of luck for high achievement is ordeal. Certain great artists can make out without it, Titian and others, but mostly you need ordeal. My idea is this: the artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal which will not actually kill him. At that point, he's in business: Beethoven's deafness, Goya's deafness, Milton's blindness, that kind of thing.
tasks dies
That is our ‘pointed task. Love & die.
life wise mouths
I am so wise I had my mouth sewn shut.
bored literature heavy
I conclude now I have no inner resources, because I am heavy bored. Peoples bore me, literature bores me, especially great literature,
mean bored resources
Ever to confess you're bored means you have no Inner Resources.
self vanity blame
Praise will lead you to vanity, and blame will lead you to self-pity, and both are bad for writers.
self talking vanity
So if I were talking to a young writer, I would recommend the cultivation of extreme indifference to both praise and blame because praise will lead you to vanity, and blame will lead you to self-pity, and both are bad for writers.
art lucky worst
The artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal which will not actually kill him. At that point, he's in business.