Difficult Poetry

Simon Turner on Geraldine Monk and Tim Atkins:

I often imagine that the word difficult has the same effect on readers as the white rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail has upon King Arthur and his gaggle of knights, and can picture hordes of poetry enthusiasts hurtling through the rain-slopped streets of Covent Garden whenever Caroline Bergvall drops by for a session, screaming ‘Run away!’ and hunting for the safety of the nearest John Hegley gig. But reading habits are never innate — there’s no reason schoolkids shouldn’t be reading Tom Raworth alongside Jackie Kay and Carol Ann Duffy (it might even do them some good) — and difficult poetry is only difficult if you conceive of it as such (or if you’re constantly told the same). I’m glad I managed to discover Lee Harwood’s poetry — or Barry MacSweeney’s or Tom Raworth’s or Chris Torrance’s — before anyone had the chance to tell me it was difficult and not worth the effort, because I haven’t looked back since.

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via Ron Silliman