You've come to India many times, but did you also undertake that legendary journey in Allen Ginsberg's footsteps starting out with the Hungry Generation poets with Kolkata who were such an important influence on the Beat poets?
I did the little bit of that. I went to Kolkata and met Sunil [Gangopadhyay] and went to some parties. It was great to see that generation dancing and drinking till dawn.Has that social milieu of poets changed today? Can poets afford to be as carefree today?
Well, no, because of the economic considerations – if you're in NY you can't just drop everything to be a poet, you need a lot of money to live in NY. As an artist you need to have credentials, you need to finish college education, get a graduate degree, teaching job. So a lot of the exciting, bright people are around academic circles, so poetry is somewhat in the danger of careerism and danger of getting wrapped in academics.( Anne Waldman did not know that Sunil Gangopadhyay was not a member of Hungryalist movement. Sunil rather made every effort the dismantle the movement and joined Anandabazar newspaper in doing it. )
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন