1960s Quote by Robert Hass
“I don't know that I had a sense that there was such a thing as "the poetry world" in the 1960s and early 70s. Maybe poets did, but for me as an onlooker and reader of poetry, poetry felt like it was part of a larger literary world. I mean, even the phrase "the poetry world" reflects a sort of balkanization of American literary and artistic life that has to some extent happened since then.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Poetry and the World, Robert Hass, 2015
The term “poetry world” suggests a separation that never fully existed; poetry has always been part of a broader literary culture.
In simple terms: Poetry isn’t isolated; it’s part of the whole literary scene.
Key Takeaway
Recognize poetry’s place in the larger arts.
Themes
literary history
artistic community
genre boundaries
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
critical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic courses
- literary festivals
- reading groups
- publishing industry
Key Concepts
cultural studies
interdisciplinary art
Questions to Reflect On
- Do labels help or hinder artistic collaboration?
- How does genre segregation affect readers?
A Different Perspective
The “poetry world” label can still be useful for advocacy despite its oversimplification.
![“Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics - feel that [Kurt] Vonnegut started to repeat himself, to grow increasingly self-indulgent and meandering, and to sometimes just blather in his later work. But his books up…” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed7/michael-dirda-3414_1960s_nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-li_13506.jpg)
![“[In the 1960s]...you could take LSD but you couldn't wear a pantsuit.” quote by Betsey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/29a/betsey-johnson-11907_1960s_in-the-1960s-you-could-take-lsd-but-you_14174.jpg)
