Patrick Kavanagh
Patrick Kavanagh
Patrick Kavanaghwas an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel Tarry Flynn, and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger". He is known for his accounts of Irish life through reference to the everyday and commonplace...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth21 October 1904
CountryIreland
dances life might poet
A poet is never one of the people. He is detached, remote, and the life of small-time dances and talk about football would not be for him. He might take part but could not belong.
certain country held man places whom
In the country places of Ireland, writing is held in certain awe: a writer was a dangerous man from whom they instinctively recoiled.
base compared general happiness irregular life lived men natural naturally none principle progress rises rock rural spring women
Natural life, lived naturally as it is lived in the countryside, has none of that progress which is the base of happiness. Men and women in rural communities can be compared to a spring that rises out of a rock and spreads in irregular ever-widening circles. But the general principle is static.
exploiting incidental irish late local merely poetic poetry pursue writers
Poetry is not Irish or any other nationality; and when writers such as Messrs. Clarke, Farren and the late F. R. Higgins pursue Irishness as a poetic end, they are merely exploiting incidental local colour.
rejection should left
Macmillan's rejection had left him very downcast... Patrick Swift was invited to peruse the contents and decided that the poems should be published.
names mediocrity malice
Malice is only another name for mediocrity.
newspapers
What appears in newspapers is often new but seldom true.