Bookplanet: a poet on the state of poetry

Poet Paul Farley on the parlous state of poetry -- some wise words he has:
"Lester Bangs used to say there were only 10,000 or so pairs of ears on the planet capable of hearing and enjoying Captain Beefheart, and it's easy to draw an analogy with contemporary poetry. But I hope he was wrong. You could argue that poetry's marginal status gains it liberties from the marketplace. Concepts like a mainstream versus an experimental cohort, and perennial anxieties concerning gender or ethnic representation, start to become very relative when you realise hardly anyone's listening.

The relationship between poets and their critics is complex, but what I would say is that poets of my generation - born in the early 60s onwards - have, bar a few notable exceptions, not enjoyed the severe scrutiny, pruning, championing and advocacy a robust criticism affords. My generation haven't had criticism; they've had marketing. Which all sounds bleak. But I think there is a readership for poetry, and that most poets would like to be read, and that the contract between reader and poet may be injured but isn't broken beyond repair."

Well, poets, there you have it. Now go back to hewing your lines of alabaster from the rough rockery of life.