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John Berryman 10-08-1970
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Authors
Berryman, John
Issue Date
1970-10-08
Type
Video
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
John Berryman is interviewed by William Heyen of the SUNY Brockport English Department and Jerome Mazzaro of the SUNY Buffalo English Department. Berryman opens the interview with a reading of "The Song of the Tortured Girl". Heyen invites Berryman to talk about a possible connection or influence of Yates's "Crazy Girl" poems and Berryman's "The Song of the Tortured Girl". They explore the influences of William Yates, W. H. Auden, and T.S. Elliot in Berryman's writing. Mazzaro and Berryman speak about what drew Berryman to poetry and what came of that in his career up to the time of filming. This includes his first collection of selected poetry, "Five Young Poets", published in 1940 by New Directions, his time as a student of Columbia studying in England, and teaching at Wayne State University. The interview continues on to explore the concept, origin, and responsibilities of the existence of the self and of the artist. They also discuss the challenges artists face and the negative effects of those challenges. Heyen requests a second reading from Berryman; he reads "Dream Song 282". After the reading the three men speak about Berryman's work in reference to writing in his friends, lovers, wives, and children. Berryman goes on to talk about his friends who have died often from illness or effects of alcohol addiction. Mazzaro invites Berryman to speak about mental illness in his generation and how it has affected him through the course of his life. The end of the interview closes with a brief exploration of the relationship between love and fame as indicated by Berryman's final poetry collection "Love & Fame".
Description
Citation
Publisher
SUNY Brockport