All about Walt Whitman

A short passage on how Pound influenced my work:

“The two books by Ezra Pound that influenced us most were How to Read (1968), in which he exposes his method of reading by comparison, that is, by placing the texts side by side for a quick analysis, and ABC of Reading

(1987; originally published in 1934), in which he does in practice what he did in theory in the first book, that is, he provides the texts of the poems mentioned, so that the readers can compare them and reach their own conclusions. The last section of ABC of Reading contains a “Treatise on Metre”, where he gives a concise description of the basic elements of verse, with a special focus on rhythm, and a general answer to questions on how to study, identify or write great poetry: “LISTEN to the sound that it makes.” (POUND, 1987, p.201). Although his lessons in poetics are quite abrupt, with a writing style of juxtaposing ideas instead of a linear development, they are fundamental for any one who wishes to be a poet or translator of poetry. His teachings have been invaluable for our re-creation of the Leaves, since rhythm is an essential element in Whitman’s poetry, especially when considered in a wider sense, that is, the movement of the verses in the longer poems, and not only of the syllables or words in a verse.”

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