The Last Avant-Garde: The Making of the New York School of Poets

by David Lehman

A landmark work of cultural history that tells the story of how four young poets, John Ashbery, Frank O'Hara, James Schuyler, and Kenneth Koch, reinvented literature and turned New York into the art capital of the world.

Greenwich Village, New York, circa 1951. Every night, at a rundown tavern with a magnificent bar called the Cedar Tavern, an extraordinary group or painters, writers, poets, and hangers-on arrive to drink, argue, tell jokes, fight, start affairs, and bang out a powerful new aesthetic. Their style is playful, irreverent, tradition-shattering, and brilliant. Out of these friendships, and these conversations, will come the works of art and poetry that will define New York City as the capital of world culture--abstract expressionism and the New York School of Poetry.

A richly detailed portrait of one of the great movements in American arts and letters, The Last Avant-Garde covers the years 1948-1966 and focuses on four fast friends--the poets Frank O'Hara, James Schuyler, John Ashbery, and Kenneth Koch. Lehman brings to vivid life the extraordinary creative ferment of the time and place, the relationship of great friendship to art, and the powerful influence that a group of visual artisits--especially Jane Freilicher, Larry Rivers, and Fairfield Porter--had on the literary efforts of the New York School.

The Last Avant-Garde is both a definitive and lively view of a quintessentially American aesthetic and an exploration of the dynamics of creativity.

Genres: Poetry, History, Biography, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, New York, Criticism

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

David Lehman is a poet and the series editor for The Best American Poetry series. He teaches at The New School in New York City.

Reviews

[Charlotte Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad I didn’t write this

[Timons Esaias · Rating 4 out of 5]

This appears to be my year for reading David Lehman. I was given a copy of his The Daily Mirror, which I finished in January; this volume was suggested to me by Michael Wurster; and I'm also in the process of reading the latest Best American Poetry, of which he's the series editor.

This volume gives the history of the "New York School of Poets" through short biographies of the four central poets of that movement: Kenneth Koch, Frank O'Hara, John Ashbury, and James Schuyler. It also contrasts this movement with the Beats, of the same time period, and discusses the concept of avant-garde movements, in general. Later chapters introduce the second tier of the movement, and how the New York School influenced the rest of the 20th century, in American poetry.

I have never systematically studied or read the poets of this era, so this book was wonderful for giving me context for poets and poems I know individually, or not at all. It's a nice study in how movements happen, as well.

I was pleased to see that the movement validated playfulness in the work, and the technique of writing about what is happening in front of you, however mundane. Snatching inspiration from overheard conversations, or unusual signs, or odd transient events -- all techniques that I both use and teach -- were signature elements of the School.

I also see the origins of Lehman's The Daily Mirror in O'Hara's 'I do this I do that' poems, and other series ideas from this group.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I don't tend to read much poetry, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read a 400 page book about the great avant-garde "New York School" poets of the mid-20th century. But I'm glad I did. It was a readable and interesting journey into the world of a group very talented and committed artists: John Ashbery, Frank O'Hara, Kenneth Koch, and James Schuyler. Three of them served in the military; three were gay; three graduated from Harvard; all of them lived in New York for at least part of their lives.

I would characterize the four as follows:
Ashbery: Seems to be the most famous, innovative and artistically important of the four. And his poems are the most difficult to follow--probably on purpose.
O'Hara: The most outgoing; the social center of the group. He died at the age of 40 when he was run over by a jeep on the beach in Fire Island. His poems are personal and enthusiastic.
Koch: His poems tend to be humorous. He was a Columbia professor for many years, and worked teaching poetry to many different types of people.
Schuyler: The least known of the group. His poems focus on clear and precise descriptions of the real world.

Part of what makes the book interesting is the connection of these poets to the abstract impressionist painters who were living and working in New York at the same time. The most famous ones were Jackson Pollock and Willem deKooning, but the painters most closely connected to the New York school poets were Larry Rivers, Jane Freilicher, and Fairfield Porter.

All in all an interesting and enlightening history.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I could've picked a better time to read this book, with lots of Koch, Ashbery, and O'Hara (plus Brad Gooch's biography of the latter) fresh in my memory. Lehman's impressions of O'Hara and Koch turned out to be pretty much in line with my own, but I was especially interested in what he had to say about Ashbery, whose work I've found mysef unable to get into. He managed to make Ashbery's poetry seem a bit more approachable, and it seems like the poems and lines he quoted were well-chosen. My first attempt at Ashbery was The Tennis Court Oath, which Lehman repeatedly refers to as Ashbery's most challenging book, so I feel less bad about abandoning it. As it happens, I found a copy of Ashbery's Selected Poems while I was reading this, so I plan to revisit his work soon.

The only one of the primary subjects I haven't read is James Schuyler, and I'll remedy that sometime this year.

Ultimately, I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced by Lehman's thesis, but it's provocative nonetheless, and it's not like I have an alternative thesis of my own, so I guess it doesn't matter. This was a good read, and a useful window into the work of these poets.

[A2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Frank O'Hara a lot, and I don't really understand John Ashbery, so I decided to pick up this book.

The Last Avant-Garde is about four men who were the last true originals: Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, and James Schuyler. They relationships blossomed against the backdrop of New York City, thus the "New York School." Their poetry was radically new and different - so radical, in fact, that they were disregarded by many leading critics of the generation. These iconoclasts, however, made an infinitely valuable contribution to American poetry. They experimented with words in witty and joyful ways, and it is this exuberance that most fundamentally defines their work. They were concerned not with the major political issues of the time, but rather with the mechanisms of everyday life. Lehman takes us through the School's early beginnings and narrates four sparkling mini-biographies. He illuminates the symbiosis between the poets and the painters (esp. the Abstract Expressionists). Most importantly, however, Lehman creates a wondrous atmosphere in which it feels like anything can happen.

A well-researched tribute to an undervalued group of artists.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed the first section of the book - interesting biographical sketches of the Ashbery, Koch, Schuyler and O'Hara, their literary development, their sensibilities, and their relationships with one another. There's also some helpful discussion of their works, and relationship with other writers and artists - although often somewhat excluding others on the scene, such as pretty much leaving out Barbara Guest from the story - seemed egregious to me..... The second half goes astray, with unconvincing claims about the Avant-garde, and a dismissive attitude towards poets outside the NY school which felt overly partisan. Yes, for example, O'Hara did not like Lowell or his work, perhaps despised it - and I guess Lehman is entitld to have the same attitude; but hmmm, the account of the conflict came across as somewhat bitchy to me. Anyhoo - worth reading for the first half though - 7/10

[Ronald Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather intimate look at the New York School of Poetry — a close-knit group of post-World War II poets comprised principally of John Ashbery, Frank O'Hara, Kenneth Koch, and James Schuyler. The book contains many samples of their poetry to support Lehman's observations, and a collection of photographs of the poets and their friends. Though I usually struggle to find any meaning in a lot of poetry, or to understand others' analyses of it, Lehman's portrayal of the environment in which they operated was of particular interest to me. Frequently the tales told in this book brought back vivid memories — some very strange — of my own exposure to the literary scene in Seattle in the late 1970s and again in the mid-1990s. I learned of this book through a tribute to the author's birthday (11 June 1948) on Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm no poet, and only an occasional reader of poetry, but this book is also about art, artists, New York, and bonhomie. Reading this along with the 33 1/3 book on Marquee Moon made me despair that there will never be moments like that again, when people come to NYC (or anywhere else) to live life and make art, not money. I mean, with the Beats alongside, there were two "schools" of poets doing this at the same time!

Frank O'Hara is the star, as anyone would guess, but Koch is funny, and Ashbery brilliant. Schuyler seems to be treated a bit more cursorily; and why isn't Barbara Guest, who Lehman acknowledges as New York School, given a chapter.

[Whtvrs · Rating 2 out of 5]

needs an editor & writes Barbara Guest out of the story... it made me realize why Maggie Nelson, who 'contributed to the research' of this book, wrote her own book on women & the New York School

[Ian Durant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The polemic is that the New York Poets (Ashbery, O Hara, Schuyler and Koch), so-called by gallery owner and cultural catalyst John Myers in 1961 after The New York School of Art (Kline, Rothco, Pollock, De Kooning, Motherwell) is last great innovation movement in American poetry. Movements tend to be less about consistency of style and more about self supporting friendship and a shared vision, and amount to marketing a brand. That said the NY group were sharply distinguishable from the Beats - whilst both were anti-academic the NY School poets were more aesthetic in their taste for abstract expressionist painting and intellectual in their acknowledgement of wide international literary, cinematic, musical and artistic roots.Their use of irony and comedy in their work was striking. This NY group of poets plus Barbara Guest (why was she sidelined?) is the precursor to a 2nd generation of NY poets, including Ted Berrigan, Bill Berkson, Anne Walden, Ron Padgett, Gerard Malanga, Alice Notley, William Corbett and John Weiners. My appetite for their work has been whetted by this book. So too questions like why were there so few female poets in the NY School, 1st and 2nd gen? And how did they influence the development of poetry in the UK in the 1960's and 70's.

[Austin Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for anybody interested in the New York School movement. I think it helps that it was written by a poet both inspired and involved with New York School personnel. Lehman is able to pinpoint in poetry excerpts the devices of the New York School and how these devices are idiosyncratic to their practitioners. While it focuses on the big four of the poetry movement (Ashbery, Koch, O'Hara, Schulyer), it gives glimpses into other poets and artists that shared the same space: Larry Rivers, Fairfield Porter, Barbara Guest, Ted Berrigan, etc.. I giggled throughout my reading of the book, whether it was a humorous line from Koch, a mind-blowing Ashberian truth, or an account of O'Hara quarreling with Kerouac at a reading. Lehman's book is a lively read and I believe any artist in any medium/genre can benefit from reading it. It propels the idea of friendship and imagination as the driving forces of artistic development.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book if you don’t expect it to be anything else than what it is: a readable intro to the four poets who came to be known as the New York School. It is mostly biographical, with a sprinkling of lit crit. The weakest chapter is the one about the history of the term “avant-garde” — and that chapter exposes the book’s basic flaw: the term “avant-garde” is naive and meaningless. It obfuscates more than it reveals by creating the sense that these four poets worked in splendid isolation at the vanguard of the American poetry world.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valuable as a piece of polyphonic biography, poetic research, and multidisciplinary art criticism (maybe not criticism, but analysis at the very least).

Read this book and try your best to not write a poem.

Read this book and try your best not to tell somebody else to read this book and try their best not to write a poem.

Read this book and try your best not to write a review where you urge others to read this book and try their best not to tell somebody else to read this book and try their best not to write a poem.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one took awhile but well worth it as an introduction to the male poets that comprised the New York School of poets. It captures the artistic fervor of both poetry and Abstract Expressionism during post WWII in New York City.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I was particularly interested in Lehman's view of Brad Gooch's biography of Frank O'Hara.
I highly recommend this readable and fascinating book.

[Fred Whitlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

An in-depth look at the poets and artists who kicked off the New York scene = Their lives and work is covered and how their influence expanded and grew - still being felt today.

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think one of the great gifts that America has produced are the poets associated with the so-called New York School. Not really an official organization with a membership card, but they were friends who were closely connected to the abstract Expressionists as well as the merging of early pop painting. With nice touches on the artist Larry Rivers.

Frank O'Hara, James Schuyler, Kenneth Koch, and John Ashbery are the heroes here, and this book by David Lehman is a combination of group bio and lit critique on these unique writers at the right time and place. If this book doesn't make you pick up a volume or two on these poets ... well, nothing will. A great snapshot of life in the late 50's to mid-60's - and beautifully thought out and written by Lehman. Essential history on poetry and art that still rocks.

[David Rullo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Less I'm finished, more I'm done. I've tried twice now to read this book, mainly because I like Frank O'Hara's poetry. What I don't like is Lehman's writing style and what I feel is his insistance on fitting these writers into a particular box he's folded. I constantly felt his presence over my shoulder, at times inserting himself into the writing. I wouldn't recommend this book but what do I know maybe you'll dig it.

[Melzanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

could not put down. read twice through. i love me some ny poets and their artistic counterparts. have sortamega crush on frank. sigh. all joking aside, what a wonderful, informative read about one of my particular favorite movements in the...ok so the only avant-garde movement in the us, but...they are fab.

[Matt Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this book. I first read it about 7 years ago and will probably read it again in 7 more years.

I absolutely love the New York School poets, and this account of their formation draws out so much from their education, lives, influences, and successors. I had forgotten so much of this, and now can read their poetry in a new, refreshing light.

[Des Bladet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping for more ensemble scenes with the painters, but the coverge of Schuyler and Koch is welcome, and O'Hara and Ashbery are of course well covered. Not particularly interested in the part 2 argument about avant-gardes, and I missed any reference at all to popular culture after jazz. (Dylan usurped the Beats, after all.)

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://rantsravesreviews.homestead.co...

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank O'Hara is like totally my favorite poet right now, dude.

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so fabulous, anyone who doesn't read it truly has an incomplete poetic education!

[Michael]

I want to understand why some people like these poets so much.

[Rupert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a good novel.

[Biscuits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool book, duh.

[Sherry Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well-written, readable, informative but just a bit too much of a valentine.