Post by laurensc116 on May 30, 2013 20:19:37 GMT -5
The divorce of Franz Wright's parents led to his lifelong struggle with his emotions regarding his relationship with his father, a broken family, psychiatric problems, and chemical addictions. Though he was separated from his father by distance, a connection between their lives that no amount of miles could diminish would be both of their poetic destinies. Upon reading the first poem his son sent him, award-winning poet, James Wright, wrote back, "You're a poet. Welcome to hell." However, Franz Wright embraced this "hell," using his unfortunate life events and rebellious behaviors as inspiration for his many dark and beautiful collections of poetry. In the shadow of his father, who he admired and respected greatly, Wright built a poetry career that resulted in many collections of poetry and countless accolades, including that of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Walking to Martha's Vineyard.
Although he is very open about his mental illness and substance abuse that he is currently trying to recover from, Wright discovered his calling to poetry long before any of these struggles touched his life. He was around the age of fifteen at the time, and described his very first desire to write a poem as an "ecstasy that came over him." He was an excellent student and a very well-read young boy, but this calling to become a poet, and as he describes it, "giving up a normal life," could not be ignored. Wright began leading this abnormal life after graduating from Oberlin College in 1977, and has published over fifteen collections of poetry since then.
All of his experiences have pushed Wright's poetry to embody a much darker tone, although he never means for this to be scary or unfulfilling. "There's a joy and an energy, even in the darker work, that is different," Wright has said about the genre of his own poetry. However, what may be even more compelling than his eerie tone is the context of his poetry, where topics of his poetry range from contemplations of intangible aspects of life, stories of personal life experiences, as well as nature and religion. Poet Jordan Davis describes his poetry as very mysterious, but "once the context kicks in, you may find yourself trying to track down every word he’s written." His compelling messages and the nature of his writing not only attracts "the only animal that cries," but helps us in our endeavor of "examining black grains of death and life," as well as supplying comfort that reminds us that "no one is a stranger, this whole world is your home."
Wright's poetry not only examines what it means to be alive and the terrifying mystery of death, but also reminds us that the struggle to understand these concepts is universal. Even though "the world is filled with people who have never died," Wright's poetry is an attempt not only to share these bleak observations, but also to make us "feel somewhere at home here" in this life. He is successful in comforting us in this way because his poetry always "descends to the depths of human experience, to states of speechlessness in the face of madness and all-consuming fear."
Critic Lucie Brock-Broido has stated, "Franz Wright is one of the finest poets of his generation. He's a genius of compression, of compassion, of passion." Wright will forever consider himself a poet, describing his career as a "self-fulfilling prophecy," and will always write with the inspiration that has kept him going since he was young, "Not ambition- love." I see his body of work as a true and beautiful reflection of this love, each poem being full of life, emotion, and deep messages for readers to ponder. I am honored to introduce and welcome this poet, Franz Wright.
Although he is very open about his mental illness and substance abuse that he is currently trying to recover from, Wright discovered his calling to poetry long before any of these struggles touched his life. He was around the age of fifteen at the time, and described his very first desire to write a poem as an "ecstasy that came over him." He was an excellent student and a very well-read young boy, but this calling to become a poet, and as he describes it, "giving up a normal life," could not be ignored. Wright began leading this abnormal life after graduating from Oberlin College in 1977, and has published over fifteen collections of poetry since then.
All of his experiences have pushed Wright's poetry to embody a much darker tone, although he never means for this to be scary or unfulfilling. "There's a joy and an energy, even in the darker work, that is different," Wright has said about the genre of his own poetry. However, what may be even more compelling than his eerie tone is the context of his poetry, where topics of his poetry range from contemplations of intangible aspects of life, stories of personal life experiences, as well as nature and religion. Poet Jordan Davis describes his poetry as very mysterious, but "once the context kicks in, you may find yourself trying to track down every word he’s written." His compelling messages and the nature of his writing not only attracts "the only animal that cries," but helps us in our endeavor of "examining black grains of death and life," as well as supplying comfort that reminds us that "no one is a stranger, this whole world is your home."
Wright's poetry not only examines what it means to be alive and the terrifying mystery of death, but also reminds us that the struggle to understand these concepts is universal. Even though "the world is filled with people who have never died," Wright's poetry is an attempt not only to share these bleak observations, but also to make us "feel somewhere at home here" in this life. He is successful in comforting us in this way because his poetry always "descends to the depths of human experience, to states of speechlessness in the face of madness and all-consuming fear."
Critic Lucie Brock-Broido has stated, "Franz Wright is one of the finest poets of his generation. He's a genius of compression, of compassion, of passion." Wright will forever consider himself a poet, describing his career as a "self-fulfilling prophecy," and will always write with the inspiration that has kept him going since he was young, "Not ambition- love." I see his body of work as a true and beautiful reflection of this love, each poem being full of life, emotion, and deep messages for readers to ponder. I am honored to introduce and welcome this poet, Franz Wright.