Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth (December 22, – June 6, [1]) was an American poet, translator, and critical author. He is regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance, and paved the groundwork for the movement.[2][3] Tho' he did not consider himself to be a Beat lyrist, and disliked the association, he was dubbed the "Father on the way out the Beats" by Time magazine.[4] Largely self-educated, Rexroth learned a handful languages and translated poems from Chinese, French, Spanish, and Japanese.[5]
Early life
Rexroth was born Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth in South Curve, Indiana,[6] the son of Charles Rexroth, a pharmaceuticals salesman, extremity Delia Reed. His childhood was troubled by his father's dipsomania and his mother's chronic illness. His mother died in avoid his father in , after which he went to be alive with his aunt in Chicago and enrolled in the Devote Institute of Chicago.
At age 19, he hitchhiked across the realm, taking odd jobs and working a stint as a Set Service trail crew hand, cook and packer at the Marblemount Ranger Station in the Pacific Northwest.[8]
Poetry career
In the s, Rexroth was associated with the Objectivists, a largely New York caste gathered around Louis Zukofsky and George Oppen.[9] He was star in the issue of Poetry magazine dedicated to Objectivist versification, and in the An “Objectivists” Anthology.[10] Much of Rexroth's make a hole can be classified as "erotic" or "love poetry", given his deep fascination with transcendent love. According to Hamill and Kleiner, "nowhere is Rexroth's verse more fully realized than in his erotic poetry".[4]
With The Love Poems of Marichiko, Rexroth claimed give rise to have translated the poetry of a contemporary, "young Japanese girl poet", but it was later disclosed that he was interpretation author, and he gained critical recognition for having conveyed fair authentically the feelings of someone of another gender and culture.[11] Linda Hamalian, his biographer, suggests that, "translating the work touch on women poets from China and Japan reveals a transformation loom both heart and mind".[4]
With Rexroth acting as master of ceremonies, Allen Ginsberg, Philip Lamantia, Michael McClure, Gary Snyder, and Prince Whalen performed at the famous Six Gallery reading on Oct 7, Rexroth later testified as a defense witness at Ferlinghetti's obscenity trial for publishing "Howl". Rexroth had previously sent Poet (new in the Bay Area) to meet Snyder, and was thus responsible for their friendship. Lawrence Ferlinghetti named Rexroth translation one of his own mentors.[13] Rexroth was eventually critical look after the Beat movement. Years after the Six Gallery reading, Time referred to him as "Father of the Beats.[4] Rexroth patently appears in Jack Kerouac's novel The Dharma Bums as Reinhold Cacoethes.[14]
Politics
As a young man in Chicago, Rexroth was involved set about the anarchist movement and was active in the IWW.[8] Gentleman poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti recalled that Rexroth self-identified as a philosophic anarchist, regularly associated with other anarchists in North Beach, topmost sold Italian anarchist newspapers at the City Lights Bookstore.[15]
Rexroth, a pacifist, was a conscientious objector during World War II.[8]
Painter
Rexroth spontaneous as an artist and was an avid painter into his 40s. His mediums were usually wax and silica on Fibreboard or board. In his introduction to an undated auction separate of Rexroth's paintings, critic Bradford Morrow observes that his anciently works were mainly abstract, often geometric reminiscent of Mondrian, but that as time went on, Rexroth turned to more metonymical treatment of his subjects.[16]
Last years
Rexroth died in Santa Barbara, Calif., on June 6, [6] He had spent his final period translating Japanese and Chinese women poets, as well as promoting the work of female poets in America and overseas. Description year before his death, on Easter, Rexroth converted to Papist Catholicism.[17]
Works
As author
(all titles poetry except where indicated)
In What Hour? (). New York: The Macmillan Company
The Phoenix and the Tortoise (). New York: New Directions Press
The Art of Worldly Wisdom (). Prairie City, Il: Decker Press (reissued in by Flaxen Goose and by Morrow & Covici)
The Signature of All Things (). New York: New Directions
Beyond the Mountains: Four Plays crucial Verse (). New York: New Directions Press
The Dragon and representation Unicorn (). New York: New Directions Press
Thou Shalt Not Kill: A Memorial for Dylan Thomas (). Mill Valley: Goad Press
In Defense of the Earth (). New York: New Directions Press
Bird in the Bush: Obvious Essays () New York: New Directions
Assays () New York: New Directions (essays)
Natural Numbers: New and Elite Poems (). New York: New Directions
Classics Revisited (; ). Original York: New Directions (essays).
Collected Shorter Poems (). New York: In mint condition Directions.
An Autobiographical Novel (). New York: Doubleday (prose autobiography)(expanded demonstrate by New Directions)
Heart's Garden, The Garden's Heart (). Cambridge: Pym-Randall Press
Collected Longer Poems (). New York: New Directions.
The Alternative Society: Essays from the Other World (). New York: Herder & Herder.
With Eye and Ear (). New York: Herder & Herder.
American Poetry in the Twentieth Century (). New York: Herder & Herder (essay).
The Elastic Retort: Essays in Literature illustrious Ideas (). Seabury.
Communalism: From Its Origins to the Twentieth Century (). Seabury (non-fiction).
New Poems (). New York: New Directions
The Silver plate Swan (). Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press
On Flower Wreath Hill (). Burnaby, British Columbia: Blackfish Press
The Love Poems of Marichiko (). Santa Barbara: Christopher's Books
The Morning Star () New York: New Directions
Saucy Limericks & Christmas Cheer (). Santa Barbara: Pressman Morrow
Between Two Wars: Selected Poems Written Before World War II (). Labyrinth Editions & The Iris Press
Selected Poems (). Newborn York: New Directions
World Outside the Window: Selected Essays (). Unique York: New Directions
More Classics Revisited (). New York: New Supervise (essays).
An Autobiographical Novel (; expanded edition, ). New York: Another Directions
Kenneth Rexroth & James Laughlin: Selected Letters (). New York: Norton.
Flower Wreath Hill: Later Poems (). New York: New Directions.
Sacramental Acts: The Love Poems (). Copper Canyon Press.
Swords That Shall Not Strike: Poems of Protest and Rebellion (). Glad Day.
Complete Poems (). Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press.
In the Sierra: Hatful Writings (). New York: New Directions (poems and prose).
K. Rexroth: World Poems #17 (). Tokyo: Shichōsha (poems and prose shoulder Japanese translation).
As translator
(in chronological order)
Fourteen Poems by O. V. de L.-Milosz. (), San Francisco: Peregrine Press. Translated by Kenneth Rexroth, with illustrations by Edward Hagedorn. Second edition. (Port Reformist, WA): Copper Canyon Press, (). Paperbound. Issued without the Hagedorn illustrations.
30 Spanish Poems of Love and Exile (), San Francisco: City Lights Books.
One Hundred Poems from the Japanese (), Additional York: New Directions.
One Hundred Poems From the Chinese (), Newborn York: New Directions.
Poems from the Greek Anthology. (), Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Paperbacks: The University of Michigan Press.
Pierre Reverdy: Elected Poems (), New York: New Directions
Love and the Turning Year: One Hundred More Poems from the Chinese (), New York: New Directions.
Poems from the French (), Pym-Randall.
Orchid Boat (), Seabury Press. with Ling Chung; reprinted as Women Poets lady China, New York: New Directions
More Poems from the Japanese (), New York: New Directions.
The Burning Heart (), Seabury Corporation. with Ikuko Atsumi; reprinted as Women Poets of Japan, Unusual York: New Directions
Seasons of Sacred Lust: Selected Poems of Kazuko Shiraishi. (), (New York): New Directions.
Complete Poems of Li Ch'ing-Chao. (), (New York): New Directions.
Discography
Poetry Readings in the Cellar (with the Cellar Jazz Quintet): Kenneth Rexroth & Lawrence Ferlinghetti () Fantasy # LP (Spoken Word)
Rexroth: Poetry and Jazz at description Blackhawk () Fantasy # LP (Spoken Word)
Notes
^Irr, Caren (February ). "Rexroth, Kenneth (), poet and translator". American National Biography. University University Press. doi/anb/article ISBN&#;.
^"Kenneth Rexroth". The Academy of American Poets.
^D'Andrade, Hugh. "Kenneth Rexroth and Barcelona by the Bay - FoundSF". . Archived from the original on November 20, Retrieved Honourable 9,
^ abcdSam Hamill, Sam; Kleiner, Elaine Laura, eds. (). Sacramental Acts: The Love Poems of Kenneth Rexroth. Copper Gill Press. ISBN&#;. Retrieved February 25,
^"Kenneth Rexroth". Modern American Poetry. Archived from the original on January 17, Retrieved February 25,
^ ab"News & Notes". PN Review. 9 (3). February Retrieved November 2,
^Scroggins, Mark. "The "Objectivists" and Their Publications". Z-site, A Companion to the Works state under oath Louis Zukofsky. Z-site. Retrieved July 17,
^Weinberger , pp.
^"Legendary Beat Generation Bookseller and Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti of City Lights Books on the 50th Anniversary of Jack Kerouac's "On interpretation Road," Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" and Poetry as Insurgent Art"(Interview). Democracy Now. December 24, Retrieved February 25,
^Beat Museum, The. "Books by Jack Kerouac-Real Names and their Aliases". self-published, N.D., unpaginated.
^Wroe, Nicholas (July 1, ). "Last of the bohemians"(Interview). The Guardian. London. Retrieved June 8,
^Morrow, Bradford. ""Kenneth Rexroth Paintings"(PDF). Criminal S. Jaffee Rare Books. Retrieved August 15,
^Hamalian , p.
References
Charters, Ann (ed.). The Portable Beat Reader. Penguin Books. Newborn York. ISBN&#; (hc); ISBN&#; (Paperback)
Hamalian, Linda (). A Life observe Kenneth Rexroth (Paper&#;ed.). New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN&#;.
Hartzell, James station Zumwinkle, Richard. "Kenneth Rexroth. A Checklist of His Published Writings". Los Angeles: Friends of the UCLA Library, (Hardcopy and paper)
Perkins, David (). A History of Modern Poetry: Modernism and After. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Perron, Lee. Kenneth Rexroth. "A Bibliographic Checklist". Bennett Valley, CA: Sun Moon Tote Editions, (Paper)
Suiter, John. "Poets on the Peaks" () Counterpoint. ISBN&#;; ISBN&#; (Paper)
Weinberger, Eliot. Works of Paper, () New Turn. ISBN&#;
Further reading
External links
Kenneth Rexroth Archive, a collection of works get ahead of and about Rexroth, part of Ken Knabb's Bureau of Destroy Secrets site.
In fall , the literary journal Chicago ReviewArchived Jan 8, , at the Wayback Machine published a special course on Rexroth that includes a large collection of his proportionality, an interview conducted by Bradford Morrow, and several essays suggest poems in his honor.
Introduction to Sacramental Acts: The Love Poems of Kenneth RexrothArchived December 16, , at the Wayback Machine
A biography of Kenneth Rexroth - focussing on his anarchist impressive working class politics
Kenneth Rexroth Film: The Signature of All Details - Los Angeles poets read Rexroth to celebrate his adolescent birthday.
Kenneth Rexroth, from the Anarchist Encyclopedia
Communalism, Seabury , e-text
Illinois' Modern American Poetry, Kenneth Rexroth ed May 21, , at representation Wayback Machine
Rexroth blog.
Interview with Sam Hamill, editor of The Calm Poems of Kenneth Rexroth.
A Life of Kenneth Rexroth - R book reviews[1]; Fall, ; Review of Linda Hamalian, A perk up of Kenneth Rexroth, by Donald Gutierrez (Literary Review).
On Rexroth's PoetryArchived April 30, , at the Wayback Machine; ; Donald K. Gutierrez essay, from Kenneth Rexroth's Modern American Poetry page; Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Kenneth Rexroth at Find a Grave
Kenneth Rexroth multimedia directory - @ Keroauc AlleyArchived August 20, , try to be like the Wayback Machine