Poet J.V. Cunningham (1911-1985) is almost unknown today. His poetry zigged when the fashion said zag; he was a formalist when modernism and free verse had triumphed. And yet, and a discussion of his poetry should always be followed by “and yet,” while he was still alive, his poetry was considered among the very best being published.
His teacher and mentor Yvor Winters considered Cunningham to be one of the finest writers working in the English language. Critics said his poetry would still be read 50 years after his death. Others called him the most talented of his generation. But today he’s barely remembered.
Wiseblood Books has issued a new edition of Cunningham’s The Exclusions of a Rhyme: Poems and Epigrams, first published in 1960.
To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.
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