Comments on: Ooga-Booga

By: Michael Hudson

Michael Hudson — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:53:23 +0000

Thanks for this post. I’m currently waiting for Ooga-Booga to be delivered to me through Amazon and you’ve really got me licking my lips.
My favourite poems from this collection are Death and Drinking in the Daytime, but I’ve only listened to the audio files* of Seidel reciting some poems
from it (which are available here) and read a few extracts from some of the poems here and there, so I’m hoping to add to my list of favourites.
* Wouldn’t it be great if Seidel released these recordings on CD? Someone should start an online petition.

By: Michael Robbins

Michael Robbins — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:27:15 +0000

Yes, Sidney, Greville, & Byron I’d thought of — was wondering more about this century; aristocratic society has its own conditions of publication.
Oppen was nowhere near as wealthy as Seidel & Merrill. & Laughlin was a great publisher.
Anyone else see Seidel’s new poem in Harper’s (reprinted from Raritan) this month?
I feel as if I’m posting to a pop group fan-board.

By: john

john — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:21:36 +0000

A few wealthy poets (I’m sure there are others; also can’t vouch for everybody’s wealth reaching the requisite level of obscenity):
Sir Philip Sidney
Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke
George Gordon, Lord Byron
Gertrude Stein
George Oppen
James Laughlin

By: Dana Levin

Dana Levin — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:24:00 +0000

I love Seidel’s work! Check out two faves in Ooga-Booga: “CloClo” (uh-oh, is that the title of the poem? Hmmm) and “The Bush Administration.”

By: Kent Johnson

Kent Johnson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:24:23 +0000

Seidel is one of the living greats.
And the translation Don Share posted proves it.
Kent

By: Michael Robbins

Michael Robbins — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:50:48 +0000

“A series of I-statements worthy of a bling-dazzled rapper” – I wish I’d thought of that. And you’re right about the tendency to dwell on his wealth – in my case, as a vaguely Marxian lefty, I find his unapologetic hymning of his opulence refreshingly preferable to liberal guilt (though as you note he plays off even that sort of reaction).
I always think it must be a bit more difficult to devote yr life to poetry if you’re obscenely wealthy. Has anyone with a comparable fortune besides James Merrill done it so successfully?
Correction: FSG has revamped its Seidel site, & my review no longer appears there, which is all to the good. Reviews are among other things advertisements, I guess, but it was weird to have my writing used so nakedly as promotional literature.

By: Daisy

Daisy — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:49:34 +0000

Great review of a great book, Michael
Daisy

By: Michael Robbins

Michael Robbins — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:53:14 +0000

May I offer my Chicago Review piece on Ooga-Booga (see under Chicago Review at frederickseidel.com), or would that be crass? Wait, I’ve already done it. To paraphrase Ashbery, if self-promotion is a hate crime so be it!

By: Don Share

Don Share — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:07:38 +0000

You knew this would happen, but I'm chiming in to invite people to check out Seidel's "John Philip Sousa "Stars and Stripes Forever" cross-species salute to Imru' al-Qays," just out in the April issue of Poetry; click right here to see the poem!