Commentary.(Thirty-Nine Among the Sands, His Steps, poem)(Critical essay)

From: Chicago Review | Date: September 22, 2006| Author: Matthias, John | Copyright information

When John Matthias's "Thirty-nine among the Sands, His Steps ..." arrived at CR, I knew it was a significant poem. It was beautiful, its music real and moving. But the historical and personal allusions were difficult to trace, and I was not sure, to be honest, what it all added up to. "Do you want to die an old magazine editor in a furnished room who knew what was in every cup of tea?" Allen Ginsberg asked CR's editors in 1958. I knew the answer to that question, so I accepted the ...

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