Letters to Jargon: The Correspondence between Larry Eigner and Jonathan Williams

Letters to Jargon is a collection of letters between Larry Eigner and Jonathan Williams, the influential publisher of Jargon Society Press and a poet. The letters cover a wide range of topics, including Eigner's poetic practices, his readings in contemporary poetry, his correspondence with other poets, and his personal life, including his financial difficulties and cerebral palsy. The book also includes images of the original letters, providing insight into Eigner's material-textual practices.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2019
Publisher: The University of Alabama Press

Celebrated by both the Black Mountain poets in the 1950s and 1960s and the Language poets in the 1970s and 1980s, Larry Eigner's poems occupy an important place in American poetry and poetics, and his reputation and legacy grow seemingly stronger with each passing year. Letters to Jargon collects all of the known correspondence between Larry Eigner and Jonathan Williams, the influential publisher of Jargon Society Press and himself a poet. Eigner's correspondence with Williams began in the early 1950s, as the two were in conversation over the manuscript of On My Eyes , published by Jargon in 1960. Their correspondence continued for many years thereafter, extending into the period when Eigner's work started to gain recognition from the nascent movement that would become known as Language writing. The letters are quite broad in their range of reference and provide a fuller context for Eigner's poetry and thinking. Eigner and Williams discuss their own poetic practices, including the source material for specific poems, general writing practices, and small press and little magazine publication. This volume offers considerable insight into their shared literary communities, as Eigner reports on his readings in contemporary poetry and poetics, as well as his correspondence and contact with other poets, including Charles Olson, Vincent Ferrini, Robert Duncan, Denise Levertov, Robert Grenier, and Barrett Watten. Also recorded are Eigner's reactions to current events and explications of his own poems, including the contexts for appropriated lines and distinctions of character spacing. Eigner also shares with Williams details about his personal life, including his struggles with alcoholism and his relationships with his wife and children.

In conclusion, Letters to Jargon is a valuable addition to the literature on Larry Eigner and his place in American poetry. The letters provide a glimpse into the creative process, the literary communities, and the personal life of one of America's most important poets of the late twentieth century.

Weight: 540g
Dimension: 153 x 229 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780817359348