JorieGrahamwrites,teaches,andevangelizespoetry.SheisperhapsthemostcelebratedpoetoftheAmericanpost-wargeneration,for,asPeytonBrienwroteinDictionaryofLiteraryBiography,Grahamisapoetwhois"attheforefrontoftheefforttorevitalizeandredefineAmericanpoetry"bywriting"deeplysearchingandskillfullywroughtpoemsthatemergefromherfirsthand…experienceofart,literature,history,andreligiousthought."WhenGrahamreplacedNobelLaureateandpoetSeamusHeaneyasBoylstonprofessorinHarvard’sDepartmentofEnglishandAmericanLiteratureandLanguage—achairwhoseoccupantsdatebacktoJohnQuincyAdams—shebecamethefirstwomantobeawardedthisposition.
BorninNewYorkCity,GrahamwasrearedandeducatedinItalyandFrance.SheattendedtheSorbonneinParis,whereshestudiedphilosophy,untilshewasexpelledforparticipatinginstudentriots.ReturningtoNewYork,shestudiedfilmmakingatNewYorkUniversity.Grahamwasdrawntopoetry,however,whenshepassedbyaclassbeingtaughtbypoetandliterarycriticM.L.Rosenthal.GrahamoverheardhimreadthelinesfromT.S.Eliot‘s"TheLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrock":"Ihaveheardthemermaidssinging,eachtoeach./Idonotthinkthattheywillsingtome."GrahamisquotedontheWebsiteConnectionassaying,"Itwaslikesomethingbeingplayedinthekeymysoulrecognized."
Graham’sloveofartandphilosophyarecentraltoherwork.Theinfluencesofherartistmotherandtheologicalscholarfather,herabilitytospeakthreelanguages,andherearlyimmersioninEuropeancultureareallevidentinherpoetry.Herinfluencesarepredominantlymodernists—WilliamButlerYeats,T.S.Eliot,andWallaceStevens—andhelpexplaintheshapeandflowofherpoetry,whatBrienseesas"adiachronicpassageofevents,oneofever-shiftingandweavingpatterns."Whatemergesfromthesepatternsisaconstantexplorationofthedualitiesandpolaritiesoflife,ofthecreativeanddestructivetensionsthatexistbetweenspiritandflesh,therealandthemythical,stillnessandmotion,theinteriorandexteriorexistence.
HybridsofPlantsandGhostswascalled"aspromisingafirstbookasanyrecentlypublished"byDaveSmithinAmericanPoetryReview,duetoGraham’s"sustainedcontrolandamusicnotlikeanyoneelse’samongus."Thecollection,whichbeganas"aformofjournalkeeping,"accordingtoBrien,wasbuiltaroundherpoemsthatappearedinperiodicals;itderivesitstitlefromNietzsche’scharacterizationofhumanbeings.SmithnotedtheinfluenceofWallaceStevens"andhisverbalsleightofhand,"whichhefoundevidentinGraham’spreoccupationwithwhatisrealandwhatisnot.Grahamisnotapoetwhooftenfindsanswers,letalonearrivesatclosureinherpoems;instead,sheis"apoetofprocessmorethancompletion,"notedWilliamLoganinParnassus,makingherwhatBriencalleda"mysterious"poetwhocallsuponthehumanimaginationtogobeyondthelimitationofhumanperceptions,placeswhere"Somethingwedon’tknowiscompletewithoutus/andcontinues,"orwhere"Squidsthatareneverseenalivesurface/tofollowthemoonlightonthewater."
InErosion,accordingtoHelenVendlerintheNewYorkTimesBookReview,Graham"bringsthepresenceofpoetryintothelargestquestionoflife,therelationofbodyandspirit,"andmorespecifically,"thesplitbetweenbodyandmind,fleshandspirit,"asSvenBirkertsobservedinBostonReview.GrahamtoldAnnSnodgrass,inaninterviewcitedbyBrien,that"Erosionseemstomeabookaboutaccountability,andaccountabilityseemstomeaveryAmericanobsession,"especiallywithwhatBriencallsher"continuingpreoccupationwithmoralexperience."Thisisevidentinthepoem"ReadingPlato"inwhichGrahamdescribesafishermanfriendwhotiesfliesinthewinterforuseinthesummer,creatingabody,thefly,thatiscreatedfromthefly’simageinthemaker’smind,orwhatPeterStittinGeorgiaReviewcalled"aPlatonicnotion,theidealformoffly,whichheistryingtotranslateintoreality,"andevidentinthepoemas"Dismembered,remembered,/it’sfinally/alive.Imagine/thebody/theywereallonce/apartof,/thesemenalongthelush/greenbanks."
TheEndofBeautypresentedanewdirectionforGraham’spoetry,makingwhatSvenBirkerts,writinginVoiceLiterarySupplement,sawas"adecisiveturn—awayfromaccessibilityandresolutionandintoarealmofdifficultambiguity."Graham’spoetrychallengesreadersonnewlevelsinthisvolume,asthepoemsbecomeshapedmorebysentencethanbystanza,morebycollagethanbycontinuation,morebyconsequencethanbyclosure.Birkertscalledthisakindof"fluxandtransformation"inwhichGraham"discoversinhernarrativethecriticalorpivotalmoment:shethenslowstheactiontoexposeitsperilouseventualconsequences,"thoughforGraham,thepoemhasalwaysbeenmoreprocessthanproduct.HelenVendlerbelievesthatitisbecauseGrahamisexploringnewterritorythatshemustnecessarilyexploreanewformtofitit,for"Whenpoetsshiftground,theyshiftformtoo,"VendlernotedintheNewYorker.Severalofthepoemsarebrokenintonumberedsections,oftenofseeminglyunrelatedfragmentsthatarepiecesofalargercollage;attimes,thepoetoffersakindof"close"readingwhichrequiresreadersbothtoparticipateinthepoembyfillingintheblankandforGrahamtopresentherowninabilitytoexpressthenot-yet-conceivable,asin"Likea,,,,,,,,,,thislookbetweenus."RobertMiltner,writinginNoExit,sawsimilaritiesinmanyofGraham’spoemsinthiscollectiontotraitsofthelanguagepoetrymovement,especiallyinheruseofthesentenceasameasureequivalenttothepoeticline,asin"Self-PortraitasBothParties,"whichopens"1Thecutflowersridingtheskinofthisriver./2Dallying,dallying,wantingtogoin./3Wantingtobetrue,attheheartofthingsbuttrue."ItissuchpoeticexperimentationthatleadJessicaGreenbauminNationtonotethat"Graham’snewpoemsareradicallydifferentnotonlyfromherpreviousones,butfromanythingelsearound."
RegionofUnlikenessisasequenceofpoemswhich,accordingtoMarjorieMarksintheLosAngelesTimesBookReview,form"anextendedmeditationontheideaofhistory"inwhichGraham"peelsawaythe’ever-tighterwrappings/oflayersofthe/real’toexposetheintimateinteractionsofourinnerandouterlives,thepastandpresent,stillnessandmotion,thestrataoflightanddarkness."HelenVendler,writinginNewYorkReviewofBooks,sawthebookasoneoftensions,the"grandmetaphysicaltheme"beingthetensionbetween"existenceanddeath"andthesupplementaltensionsof"opennessversusshape"andof"continuityandclosure,indeterminacyandoutline,beingandtemporality,orexperienceandart."WhereRegionofUnlikenessmovesforwardfromGraham’searlierworksliesinitsattempttoconnecttogetherthesepolaritiesthroughintersectionsintimeandspace,howeverdisparateoroddlyjuxtaposed:"Itdarts,itstretchesoutalongthe/dryhardground,/itcannotfindtheend,itdarts,it/stretchesout—."VendlernotedthatGrahammovesbeyondthelinearstorylineandseekstoconnectthroughwhatin"FromtheNewWorld"shecallsa"coil,"sothatresemblancesspiralandinterlace,promptingVendlertonotethat"Decipheringthecoiledsequencingofmemoryondifferentplanesistheartist’stask—finding(orinventing)likenessesinaregionofunlikeness."
Initsformandconception,Materialism:PoemsshowstheinfluenceofCzeslawMilosz‘sUnattainableEarth,inwhichthepoetinterspersestextsbyotherwriters.InGraham’scase,theseincludeJonathanEdwards,RalphWaldoEmerson,Wittgenstein,andDante.DavidBaker,writinginKenyonReview,observesthat"InmanywaysMaterialismreadslikeasingle,sustainedpoeticeffort,alongpoemwhosemethodsstrivetowardacoherentstability,"andwhichoffersreaders"anintermixtureofsongsandstories,ofmeditation,experiment,andassertion,ofGraham’svoiceamidstthepolyphonicchorusofothers."Thisleadsthereader,accordingtoAnnieFinchinNorthAmericanReview,throughinteractionwithbothpoetandincludedtexts,tomake"implicitconnectionsthaturgethereadertowrestlewiththephilosophicalassumptionsunderlyingWesternCulture."ThedualityGrahamexploresinMaterialismisthetensionthatresultsfromtheuniversaldifficultyinperceivingandcommunicatingthereal,inhowartisanattempttoexpressinsomeconcretewaywhathumansexperiencethroughthesenses,asevidentin"NotesontheRealityoftheSelf,"inwhichthepoetwonders"Isthereanewwayoflooking—/valancesandlittlehooks—inevitabilities,proba-/bilities?Itflapsandslaps.Isthisbodytheone/Iknowasme?Howprivatethesewords?"WilliamLogan,inNewYorkTimesBookReview,sawacommonpatterninthepoemsinthisbook:thepoems"commonlybeginwithasmalldomesticcrisis(takingaleotardtoherforgetfuldaughter,pickingupadeadmonarchbutterfly)andattendwithanalmostnightmarishintensitytothefluxofmentalphenomenathatfollows."Materialism,wroteBaker,"isabookaboutAmerica,itsOldWorldheritageanditsperilousNewWorldfreedomandresponsibility,"andaddedthatJorieGrahamis"achallengingandimportantpoet,andMaterialismshowsherworkingattheheightofherpowers."
TheDreamofaUnifiedField,aselectionofpoemsrepresentingfivebooksandspanningtwentyyears,receivedthePulitzerPrizeinPoetryin1996,aboutwhichGrahamtoldTimothyCahillofChristianScienceMonitor,"Itmademeveryhappythatthelanguageofmymedium,poetry,issituatedamongtheseotherlanguages,"thatis,the"dramatic,novelistic,journalistic,poetic,biographical,"allofwhich"seemtobesearchingforversionsofwhatonewouldcall’thetruth.’"PeterSacks,intheNewYorkTimesBookReview,praisedthebookforallowing"followersofherrapidandever-changingdevelopmenttoreviewherachievementtodate,"and,PajaFaudreecommentedinVillageVoiceLiterarySupplement,thiscollection"verifiesherstatusasoneofourbestlivingpoets."
TheErrancytakesitstitlefromtheoldideathaterringisawayoflearningfrommistakesandmiscues,asawayofdiscoveryandmovement,sothatthepoemsinthiscollection,accordingtoareviewerinPublishersWeekly,describe"notsomuchourworldbutourturnsofmindasweproceedwithoutatheoryofwhatwe’redoing,"extendingaprocess-orientationthathascharacterizedGraham’spoetrythroughouthercareer,thoughinthisbookdiscoverylearningisofferedastheonlyvalidmethodinapostmoderneradevoidofadominantsetofculturalvaluesandbeliefsuponwhichonecanrely.Thepolaritieswhichdominatethisbookare"theverylimitsoflanguageandmeaning,"accordingtoGrahamChristianinLibraryJournal,though,asJamesLongenbachnotedinNation,if"eachofherbookshasinterrogatedtheoneprecedingit,"then"Errancyfeelslikeaculmination,"forthepoet"isexploringtheverynotionofwhatitmeansforapoettohaveastyle—anexteriormarkofaninnervision."Thisisabookofangels(theimmaterial)andaubades(newbeginnings),of"sophisticatedmeditationsonidentity,languageandculture,"notesLongenbach,whocalledErrancyGraham’s"mostchallenging,mostrewardingbook"becauseit"providesallthesatisfactionsweexpectfrompoetry—auralbeauty,emotionalweight—alongwithanintellectualrigorwedon’texpect.NoonebutJorieGrahamcouldhavewrittenit."
SwarmrecallsthemythologicalpastthrougharchetypalwomensuchasCalypso,Clytemnestra,Daphne,Eve,andEurydice.DonnaSeamanforBooklistremarkedthattheideaofthepoemcycle"Underneath,"isthat"wefeelthesamepassionsandsorrowsandaskthesamequestionsourancestorsfeltandaskedsincethedawnofourbeing."WilliamLoganviewedtheworkinadifferentlight,however.InNewCriterion,hecalledthework"apocketInfernoofpoeticsins.Mostofthesepoems,"hewrote,"haven’tbeenconsignedtohell—they’vejustchosentolivethere.ThepoetofErosionandTheEndofBeautynowputslittleofherintelligenceintoherwork(littleofherintelligenceandlessofherlogic),thewordshurledscrappilyontothepage,thepoeticlinefussedwithuntilitliestangledlikeyarn."JosephineBalmer,writingfortheTimesLiterarySupplement,wasmorepositiveinherassessment.Shewrote,"ThefracturedlinesanddeconstructedformsofGraham’sverse,however,suggestamoreambiguousfragmentedrelationshipwiththisinherited[archetypal]tradition,whichshecastsasbothblessingandcurse…InSwarm,thepastisaconstantpresence,which,inordertosurvive,wehavebothtoescapeandtounderstand—aburdenwecanneitherbaulkatnorevade,atreatwehavelongbeendenied:’Tobetoldbestnottotouch./Totouch’,as’EurydiceonHistory’explains,’Forthefarewellofit./Andthefurtherreplication’."
Never:Poems,containstwenty-sevenpoemsthatoriginallyappearedinpublicationssuchastheNewYorkerandtheTimesLiterarySupplement.Ofthis,herninthbookofcollectedpoems,areviewerforPublishersWeeklywrote,"Morethananythingelse,thisbookshowsGrahamtobeamostformidablenaturepoet,findinginherspeaker’senvironmentperfectanaloguesforstatesofconsciousness."
BrienplacesGraham"amongthemostimportantpoetsinNorthAmericanliteraturetoday,"for,byhermid-forties,shehad"alreadyseenmoreofherworkinprintandachievedmorehonorsthanmanypoetshopetoaccomplishinalifetime."ThereasonforhersuccessisperhapsbestexpressedbyKenyonReview‘sBaker,whostatesthathe"canthinkofnoothercurrentAmericanpoetwhohasemployedandexposedtheactualmechanicsofnarrative,ofform,ofstrategicinquirymorefullythanshehas—atleastnootherreadablepoet—andnootherpoetabletodeploysofruitfullyandinvitinglythediversesystemsofphilosophy,science,andhistory.Ifanyonecanunifythedisjoinedfieldsofcontemporarydiscourse,IthinkitmightbeJorieGraham."
CAREER
Writerandteacherofpoetry.MurrayStateUniversity,Murray,KY,assistantprofessorofEnglish,1978-79;HumboldtStateUniversity,Arcata,CA,assistantprofessorofEnglish,1979-81;ColumbiaUniversity,associateprofessorandWriter’sCommunityworkshopinstructor,1981-83;UniversityofIowa,professorofEnglishandWriters’Workshopinstructor,1983-1999;HarvardUniversity,BoylstonProfessorofRhetoricandOratory,1999—.Givespoetryreadings.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
POETRY
- HybridsofPlantsandofGhosts,PrincetonUniversityPress(Princeton,NJ),1980.
- Erosion,PrincetonUniversityPress(Princeton,NJ),1983.
- TheEndofBeauty,EccoPress(Hopewell,NJ),1987.
- RegionofUnlikeness,EccoPress(Hopewell,NJ),1991.
- Materialism:Poems,EccoPress(Hopewell,NJ),1993.
- TheDreamoftheUnifiedField:Poems,1974-1994,EccoPress(Hopewell,NJ),1995.
- TheHidingPlace(audiorecording),ArchiveofRecordedPoetryandLiterature,LibraryofCongress(Washington,DC),1995.
- KarenAlkalay-GutandJorieGrahamReadingTheirPoemsintheMontpelierRoom,LibraryofCongress,October19,1995,(soundrecording),LibraryofCongress(Washington,DC),1995.
- TheErrancy,EccoPress(Hopewell,NJ),1997.
- JorieGrahamandJamesMcMichaelReadingTheirPoemsintheMumfordRoom,LibraryofCongress,March12,1998(soundrecording),LibraryofCongress(Washington,DC),1998.
- Swarm,EccoPress(NewYork,NY),2000.
- Never:Poems,EccoPress(NewYork,NY),2002.
OTHER
- (Editor,withDavidLehman)TheBestAmericanPoetry1990,Scribners'(NewYork,NY),1991.
- (Editor)EarthTookofEarth:100GreatPoemsoftheEnglishLanguage,EccoPress(Hopewell,NJ),1996.
- (WithJeannetteMontgomeryBarron)PhotographsandPoems,Scalo(NewYork,NY),1998.
Workrepresentedinanthologies,includingGoldenGateHarvest,editedbyPhilipDow,1983;VintageBookofContemporaryAmericanPoetry,J.D.McClatchy,Vintage(NewYork,NY),1990;andNewAmericanPoetsofthe’90’s,editedbyJackMyersandRogerWeingarten,Godine(Boston,MA),1992.Contributorofarticlesandpoemstomagazines,includingAmericanPoetryReview,Antaeus,GeorgiaReview,IowaReview,Nation,NewEnglandReview,NewYorker,ParisReview,Ploughshares,andPoetryNorthwest.PoetryeditorofCrazyhorse,1978-81.
FURTHERREADING
BOOKS
- Benbow-Pfalzgraf,Taryn,editor,AmericanWomenWriters:ACriticalReferenceGuidefromColonialTimestothePresent,2ndedition,St.JamesPress(Detroit,MI),2000.
- Blain,Virginia,editor,FeministCompaniontoLiteratureinEnglish,YaleUniversityPress(NewHaven,CT),1990.
- ContemporaryLiteraryCriticism,Gale(Detroit,MI),Volume48,1988,Volume118,1999.
- DictionaryofLiteraryBiography,Volume120:AmericanPoetssinceWorldWarII,ThirdSeries,Gale(Detroit,MI),1992.
- EncyclopediaofWorldLiteratureintheTwentiethCentury,3rdedition,St.JamesPress(Detroit,MI),1999.
- Green,CarolHurd,editor,AmericanWomenWriters:ACriticalReferenceGuidefromColonialTimestothePresent,Volume5,ContinuumPublishing(NewYork,NY),1994.
- Hamilton,Ian,editor,OxfordCompaniontoTwentieth-CenturyPoetryinEnglish,OxfordUniversityPress(NewYork,NY),1994.
- Perkins,George,editor,Benet’sReader’sEncyclopediaofAmericanLiterature,HarperCollins(NewYork,NY),1991.
- Riggs,Thomas,editor,ContemporaryPoets,6thedition,St.JamesPress(Detroit,MI),1996.
- Vendler,Helen,TheBreakingofStyle:Hopkins,Heaney,Graham,HarvardUniversityPress(Cambridge,MA),1995.
- Vendler,Helen,TheGivenandtheMade:StrategiesofPoeticRedefinition,HarvardUniversityPress(Cambridge,MA),1995.
PERIODICALS
- America,October30,1993,p.17.
- AmericanPoetryReview,January-February,1982,pp.36-46;November-December,1983,pp.40-6;March,1987,p.22;September,1987,p.31.
- AntiochReview,summer,1984,pp.363-74;fall,1994,p.659.
- BlackWarriorReview,spring,1988,pp.136-43.
- BloomsburyReview,January,1995,p.19;March-April,1996,p.23.
- Booklist,October15,1995,p.380;January1,1996,p.735;December1,1999,DonnaSeaman,reviewofSwarm,p.128.
- Bookwatch,January19,1992,p.8;May22,1994,p.11;January,1996,p.4.
- BostonReview,August,1983,SvenBirkerts,reviewofErosion,p.38.
- Carrell:JournaloftheFriendsoftheUniversityofMiamiLibrary,1989,pp.35-9.
- ChicagoTribune,January12,1992,p.5.
- Choice,November,1980,p.395.
- ChristianScienceMonitor,August12,1987,p.17;June24,1996,TimothyCahill,reviewofTheDreamoftheUnifiedField,p.16.
- Commentary,January,1992,p.59.
- Commonweal,March9,1984,p.155;December2,1994,p.26.
- ContemporaryLiterature,summer,1992,pp.373-95.
- DenverQuarterly,spring,1992,pp.76-104;spring,1994,pp.136-41.
- Economist,July13,1996,p.91.
- GeorgiaReview,winter,1983,pp.894-905;spring,1984;winter,1987,p.800.
- HollinsCritic,October,1987,pp.1-9.
- HudsonReview,winter,1988,p.684;winter,1992,p.676;spring,1995,pp.170-172.
- KenyonReview,fall,1994,DavidBaker,reviewofMaterialism,pp.161-165.
- LibraryJournal,May15,1980,p.1170;May1,1983,p.909;March15,1987,p.80;September15,1990,p.80;October15,1995,p.65;June15,1997,GrahamChristian,reviewofTheErrancy,p.72.
- LosAngelesTimesBookReview,September8,1991,p.11;March20,1994,p.11.
- MulticulturalReview,January,1992,p.51.
- Nation,September6,1987,JessicaGreenbaum,reviewofTheEndofBeauty,pp.206-8;July21,1997,JamesLongenbach,reviewofTheErrancy,pp.40-2.
- NewCriterion,June2000,WilliamLogan,reviewofSwarm,p.63.
- NewEnglandReview,summer,1982,p.617;summer,1986,p.532;fall,1992,pp.251-61.
- NewRepublic,January27,1992,p.36;July11,1994,pp.27-30.
- NewYorker,July27,1987,pp.74-7;June28,1993,p.103.
- NewYorkReviewofBooks,November21,1991,HelenVendler,reviewofRegionofUnlikeness,pp.50-56.
- NewYorkTimes,July26,1987,p.9;October11,1987,p.29
- NewYorkTimesBookReview,July17,1983,pp.10,15;July26,1987,p.9;November21,1991,p.50;July31,1994,p.18;May5,1996,PeterSacks,reviewofTheDreamoftheUnifiedField,pp.16-7;May17,1998,reviewofTheEndofBeauty,p.48.
- NoExit,summer,1995,RobertMiltner,reviewofTheEndofBeauty,pp.19-28.
- NorthAmericanReview,May,1993,p.40;March,1988,p.72;July-August,1994,AnnieFinch,reviewofMaterialism,p.40-2;July1998,reviewofTheErrancy,p.29.
- Parnassus,spring-summer,1983,pp.211-30;spring,1985,p.588.
- PartisanReview,March,1988,p.508.
- Ploughshares,winter,2001,RobertN.Casper,"AboutJorieGraham,"p.189.
- Poetry,April,1982,pp.35-7;July1998,reviewofTheErrancy,p.233.
- PrairieSchooner,fall,1989,p.117.
- Publisher’sWeekly,August31,1990,p.59;September25,1995,p.49;June30,1997,reviewofTheErrancy,p.72;February25,2002,reviewofNever:Poems,p.56.
- SmallPressReview,February,1994,p.11.
- SouthwestReview,summer,1982,pp.345-9.
- ThreepennyReview,fall,1988,p.12;summer,1994,p.18-20.
- TimesLiterarySupplement,May17,1996,pp.26-7;November20,1998,reviewofTheErrancy,p.29;May25,2001,JosephineBalmer,"AncientLadies,"reviewofSwarm,p.26.
- TribuneBooks(Chicago),January12,1992,p.5.
- VillageVoiceLiterarySupplement,June,1987,SvenBirkerts,reviewofTheEndofBeauty,p.5;November,1995,PajaFaudree,reviewofTheDreamoftheUnifiedField,p.12,14.
- VirginiaQuarterlyReview,autumn,1980,p.146;autumn,1983,p.133.
- WashingtonPost,January19,1992,p.8;May22,1994,p.11.
- WilsonLibraryBulletin,October,1987,p.93.
- Women’sReviewofBooks,March,1994,pp.11-12.
OTHER
- AcademyofAmericanPoetsWebsite,http://www.poets.org/poets/(October15,2001),biographyofJorieGraham.
- ConnectionWebsite,http://www.theconnection.org/archive/(December17,1999),ChristopherLydon,"ThePoetryofJorieGraham."
- HarvardUniversityGazetteWebsite,http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/(October7,1999),LeeSimmons,"JorieGraham,AmbassadorforPoetry."
- NewYorkTimesWebsite,http://www.search.nytimes.com/(January2,2000),RichardEder,"AStateofWithdrawal,"reviewofSwarm.
postedat2011/09/3002:36:00
