Thursday, November 17, 2005
Padraig Fallon: A poet's journal.

I just picked up A Poet's Journal, a collection of writing and criticism by Padraic Fallon. His writings from 1951-1952, The Bell series, are thought to have been particularly influential to a generation of poets. Like any good critic, he wasn't afraid to bite the living.
On Sartre: "infinitely boring".
On Kavanagh: "moves through the fair wagging a shibboleth like a shillelagh, drunk with masterpieces still to come"
On Montague: "As a critic, yes; but as a creative talent where there must be extremes of bias, I have my doubts."
On Cronin: "It is just no good to say it in another poet's language or the language of any particular clique".
Those quotes are selective - he has kinder things to say about some of the above - but they give an idea of the flavour of his writing. Edited by his son, the former Irish Times literary editor Brian Fallon, this is a choice selection of interesting poetry criticism, especially with respect to his thoughts on poetry in general. In readability, it stands the test of time, and is refreshingly unacademic. Commentary is sparse on women (an omission by father or son, I cannot say), but in spite of that, a worthy resurrection.
