The Thesaurus & Other New Verse
From OF:--A Collection of Poems In Progress
[Last Modified 3/1/05]
Earlier versions of most poems at this site first appeared in various
US literary periodicals
including The Paris Review, Michigan Quarterly
Review, New York Quarterly, Agni, Lips, & Poetry
East
Note: These poems we've been told,
combine philosophy & comedy.
Poems are mostly longer poems in short stanzas. All verse in conversational
style.
Titles at this page appear in approximately
the order in which they were written.
(1)
Dear
Ideas & Cherished Philosophies
(2)
The
Thesaurus; Or, From A Childhood (3)
Rita
& Ringo (4)
Right
In The Middle Of Everything
(5)
Folonari
Red Wine (6)
Time
Is A Toy (7)
Of Panty-Lines That Show
(8)
Of
Granny Smith's Green Apples (9)
Of
Sexual Style (10)
Einstein
( * ) (11)
New-in-'05
'A
Professor Of Practicality'
(12) New-in-'04
'Your
Life Is Your Own Life' (13)
Of
'Turning Away From The World'
( * )
Full title--"Prof. Albert Einstein Allegedly
Commits A Crime; & Of The Difficulty of Finding A Jury of His
Peers"
[Longest poem at this site. Written in early 90's, submitted
to Paris Review in '95, accepted for publication in '96, & published
in '99].
New in 03/04:
Misc. revisions here & there, every now &
then.
(OF:
being after all, a collection of poems
in progress).
Forthcoming: An
early OF:
poem 1st published in the 1980's:
"Of Clowns; Or The Kingdom of Bungledom."
Under consideration for site: "Of 'Bimbos'" (in favor
of); & "Of Entropy" (in opposition to).
Another way of phrasing the latter (this Home Page is a
work-in-progress, too!):
Poetry about "Bimbos"--the genuine articles, as opposed to mere pale
imitations; & verses cautioning against "Entropy"
Related Site with 3 of the first poems written for Of:-- '3 Poems In Praise of Peace'
Other later OF: -Poems at Other Sites
Brief Bio.
Most books referred to below are now briefly represented at various Other Benedikt Websites
Of: is a collection of poems in progress by much-published contemporary US poet Michael Benedikt. He's author of five published collections of poems in verse & prose in print media: The Badminton at Great Barrington; or Gustave Mahler & The Chattanooga Choo-Choo (University of Pittsburgh Press, l980); and with Wesleyan University Press, Night Cries (prose poems, l976); Mole Notes (prose poems, 1971); Sky (l970); and The Body (l968). His poems in verse & prose appear in 70 anthologies of US poetry. Books he's edited include a landmark, 600-page anthology of global prose poetry: The Prose Poem: An International Anthology (Dell/Laurel, l976). He is also Co-Editor of 3 volumes of 20th-Century plays from France, Germany, and Spain (E.P. Dutton, l964/'66/'67), and is translator of many plays in the French & German collection. A former Poetry Editor of Paris Review, his editorial selections appear in The Paris Review Anthology (Norton, l990). His critical prose has appeared in Poetry, The American Book Review, & elsewhere. Benedikt taught as Visiting Professor of English & Creative Writing at Bennington, Sarah Lawrence, Hampshire, & Vassar College/s; & at Boston U. He's read from his poetry at ca. 100 other colleges & universities, & in 1986 gave a videotaped reading at invitation of Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Recent readings at misc. Barnes & Noble booktores in the NY Metro Area. Grants & Fellowhips for poetry published in print media pre-advent of Internet, have included: Guggenheim, NEA (National Endowment For The Arts), & NY State Council on The Arts. First Website posted in l997. Sites feature work recent updates of work published earlier in book form. New Info: In addition to poetry, Benedikt has been recently been wrting aphorisms on (of all things) government & law. Lately also working on book & lyrics for a musical based partly on Greek myth. Poet lives in Upper West Side, Manhattan. M.A., Columbia University & B.A., NYU (Washington Square College). Emails to benedit3@aol.com Top of Page
[Photo of Benedikt by Robert Turney, circa 1980--year in which lst Of: poems were drafted]
Other Sites With Other OF: -poems
Of Orson Welles & 'War Of The Worlds' Of The Taganka Troupe in Soviet Russia, l957
Of An Only Child's World Of Living Alone But Not Brooding Too Much About It
'Of Debauchery' (Link to Thermopylae, E-Zine. Also has Interview on 'Literature, Technology & Web' in 'Writers Talk About 2000' series)
First OF: poem at this site--Dear Ideas & Cherished Philosophies
ABOUT BENEDIKT
'The
Compleat Michael Benedikt--Poet Laureate of the Net'
. Article at About.com re Benedikt & Background of Websites.
(Posted by About.com 4/99)
Michael
Benedikt--Pages at Academy of American Poets .
Includes a complete bio. & a poem from 4 of Benedikt's 5 poetry
books. (Posted by Academy 5/99).
SITES IN BENEDIKT MINI-WEB--SELECTIONS
[Links to nearly all of these websites
are also given at last page of this site]
Early
Poetry--The Body and Sky.
Selections from author's 1st poetry book , the Surrealistically eerie
The Body (1968).
Pages include
Selected Poems &
Dark Love Poems pages &
Spooky Poems for Halloween
for year-round fans of poetry in Horror & Fright genre.
Also a
Thematic Index with notes to
poems in both books
& photos from a l960's photo Archive.
New in '04: Page with poems from
lyrical second book,
Sky.
Brief Prose
Poems. From Night Cries, Benedikt's
4th poetry book. Also critical prose--Interview on prose poetry from
Poetry Society of America Newsletter + essay on "Future of American
Prose Poem."
Prose
Poems & Microfictions. Others
from Night Cries + review from The London Times Literary
Supplement
(Literary criticism focusing on book's roots in 19th century Romantic
& Visionary poetry).
The
Badminton At Great Barrington; or, Gustave Mahler & The Chattanooga
Choo-Choo.
Selections from author's succintly-titled 5th poetry book--verse sequence
re lovers crossed by both stars & psychologies
Poems from
Boston and Cambridge. From Transitions--a 2nd
mss. of verse in progress.
Note:
Of:
has poems in several genres, ranging from lyrical
to philosophical. Poetry in Transitions
is mainly narrative.
As with Of:, earlier
versions appeared in various literary magazines in the '80's & '90's.With
Archive Photos.
Theatre, Film
& TV Poems, a Miscellany. Short verse, a couple
of prose poems from authors 3rd poetry book, Mole Notes
& 3 Microfictions-in-Progress--fantasies in memory of 20th-Cent.
Italian Filmmaker Federico Fellini.
With info on Benedikt's 3 anthologies of 20th-Century European experimental
drama.
'Poetic Theater' from France, Germany, & Spain, many translated by editor.
With Agent Contact Info for performing rights.
TRANSLATION SITES
New in '04:
A
Woman Is A Woman--translation of Jean-Luc Godard's
witty scenario for his 1961 film re tensions between sexes.
New in '04:
Alphaville
& Its Subtext (In the Poetry of Paul
Eluard)
Essay on Godard's 1965 sci-fi film about state intolerance of diversity.
(Einstein poem at this site & film have similar themes).
Aloysius
Bertrand: First French Prose Poet, Intro &
Translations
of 10 Prose Poems by a 19th-Century forerunnner of both French Symbolism
& Surrealism.
Robert Desnos:
A Unique French Surrealist Poet, Intro to Desnos & translations
of 6 classic French love poems.
With core Bibliography & info on Benedikt's l974 anthology of French
Surrealist poetry; The Poetry of Surrealism.
Has titles of 25 Desnos poems translated by Benedikt so far. Version
of site with 5 additional Desnos poems:
Desnos2
Top of Other Benedikt Sites All Titles At This Site
First Of: poem at this site--"Dear Ideas & Cherished Philosophies"
