Howard Nemerov
Howard Nemerov
Howard Nemerovwas an American poet. He was twice Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1988 to 1990. For The Collected Poems of Howard Nemerov, he won the National Book Award for Poetry, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and Bollingen Prize...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth29 February 1920
CountryUnited States of America
butler great william
When I was starting to write, the great influence was T.S. Eliot and after that William Butler Yeats.
travel science journey
Nothing in the universe can travel at the speed of light, they say, forgetful of the shadow's speed.
teacher retirement say-anything
A teacher is a person who never says anything once.
students lord knows
[T]eaching has been for me an education (Lord knows what it has been for my students).
happens accidents
A lot happens by accident in poetry.
jobs wife secret
The secrets of success are a good wife and a steady job. My wife told me.
mind purpose firsts
Obvious enough that generalities work to protect the mind from the great outdoors; is it possible that this was in fact their first purpose?
literature rhyming rhyme
Once in awhile you have a thought, and you rhyme it.
facts responsible cases
The historian is terribly responsible to what he can discern are the facts of the case, but he's nothing if he doesn't make out a case.
funny life writing
I would talk in iambic pentameter if it were easier.
plot happens
I have a plot, but not much happens.
literature may pages
It may be said that poems are in one way like icebergs: only about a third of their bulk appears above the surface of the page.
fake-people real thinking
Robert Frost had always said you mustn't think of the last line first, or it's only a fake poem, not a real one. I'm inclined to agree.
literature telling-stories modern
When modern writers gave up telling stories, they gave up the greatest thing we had.