Ezra Pound: The Solitary Volcano

By John Tytell

Book Overview

Unlike other biographical portraits of Ezra Pound, John Tytell's brilliant and ambitious work offers an interpretive study that boldly confronts the emotional truths and psychological drama that formed this complex and controversial American poet. Neither an apology nor a condemnation, it presents instead a meticulous exploration into the mind and vision of a man who galvanized a generation and challenged an entire literary--and world--establishment. Although he enjoyed little fame in his lifetime, Pound's notoriety and influence were enormous, as he arrogantly slashed away at convention and almost single-handedly brought about the twentieth-century revolution in poetry known as modernism. Ultimately, outrage and scandal turned his art to madness, and Pound's last years saw him fall tragically silent.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385198701
• ISBN13: 9780385198707
• Release Date: September 1988
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Exceptional Literary Biography

For those who choose not to wade through the massive, new biography of Pound by A. David Moody, this is a highly recommended, much less exhaustive work. Pound's troubling, fascinating life is presented objectively in this interestingly written bio.

Ezra Pound

If you prefer to know and understand the writer behind the poetry, consider purchasing this biography. As difficult and unworldy as Pounds' literature tends to be, it is often a necessity that one study his life before conquering his poetry. It is the life we live that influences what we create. Before consuming yourself with The Cantos, consider what decisions and people influenced its ingenuity. John Tytell gives us everything we need to know concerning Ezra Pound. Perhaps not the definitive biography of Ezra's life; it does cover most of what you desire.