Olson, Charles (1910–70),born in Massachusetts, educated at Harvard, first became known for
Call Me Ishmael (1947), a rhapsodic study of Melville, including Shakespeare's influence on him, but subsequently became distinguished for his poetry and poetic theory. His ideas, set forth as instructor and Rector of
Black Mountain College, greatly influenced Creeley, Duncan, and Levertov, among other students there. His Projective Verse conceived of the poem as an “open field” through which energy moves from its source to the reader, the measure being based on the breath of the speaker‐poet. Olson's shorter poems printed in
In Cold Hell, in Thicket (1953) and
The Distances (1960) are collected in
The Archaeologist of Morning (1971).
The Maximus Poems (1–10, 1953; 11–23, 1956; combined, 1960),
Maximus IV, V, VI (1968), and
The Maximus Poem (1975) form a long, organic work in which the persona of Maximus concentrates on the past and present of Olson's hometown, Gloucester. An enlarged and corrected edition appeared in 1983. Other works include
The Mayan Letters (1953), written to Creeley from Mexico about anthropology and views of language;
A Bibliography on America for Ed Dorn (1964), succinct commentary on the U.S.;
Human Universe (1965), essays;
Letters for Origin (1969), written to
Cid Corman about poetry and its publication;
Causal Mythology (1969), on myth;
Poetry and Truth (1971), lectures delivered at Beloit; and
The Fiery Hunt (1978), verse plays. Creeley edited
Selected Writings (1966).
