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The Step
- GenresPoetry
Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
10 people want to read
About the author
Ron Loewinsohn
32 books13 followersLoewinsohn earned his BA from Berkeley in 1967 and his PhD from Harvard in 1971 with a dissertation on the early poetic development of William Carlos Williams.
Loewinsohn Joined the English Department faculty at UC Berkeley in 1970, where he spent the remainder of his career. His first novel, "Magnetic Field(s)," was one of five finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 1983.
Loewinsohn Joined the English Department faculty at UC Berkeley in 1970, where he spent the remainder of his career. His first novel, "Magnetic Field(s)," was one of five finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 1983.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 18, 2023
If you read poetry (and I do), you must be prepared for obscurity. all but the most famous poets are quickly buried, even if there's merit to their writing. Recently, I was reading a rather well-known poet on Facebook list a number of poets who hadn't received the accolades they deserved. Rob Loewinsohn is so forgotten that even on a Facebook page of a well-known poet requesting the names of poets that never received the praise they deserved, no one mentioned Loewinsohn.
Which is a shame because he's good, very good. A protege of Phil Whalen, Loewinsohn's freewheeling use of language and punctuation (and capitalization) very much speaks to the best that 1960s writing had to offer.
He's another fine poet consigned to obscurity, but we shouldn't feel bad about it. Most poets are, or they are discovered by other poets who also reside in obscurity. This is just fine. Poets who harbor illusions about their worthiness are bound to suffer. The joy of writing must be in the act itself, even for those who write harlequin romances. As we were taught in the teaching biz, there are external and internal motivators. Having recently made a few hundred dollars off translations, I enjoyed knowing I made it, but make no mistake: The joy is in the process. The rest is dross.
Which is a shame because he's good, very good. A protege of Phil Whalen, Loewinsohn's freewheeling use of language and punctuation (and capitalization) very much speaks to the best that 1960s writing had to offer.
He's another fine poet consigned to obscurity, but we shouldn't feel bad about it. Most poets are, or they are discovered by other poets who also reside in obscurity. This is just fine. Poets who harbor illusions about their worthiness are bound to suffer. The joy of writing must be in the act itself, even for those who write harlequin romances. As we were taught in the teaching biz, there are external and internal motivators. Having recently made a few hundred dollars off translations, I enjoyed knowing I made it, but make no mistake: The joy is in the process. The rest is dross.
Displaying 1 of 1 review