SENTINEL POETRY (ONLINE) #42 The International Journal of Poetry & Graphics…since 2002 MAY 2006 ISSN 1479-425X Editor: Amatoritsero Ede |
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Editorial: The Professional Poet continued from Previous page
The professional poet abounds today. Is he a pimp; are his poems a form of prostitution. Yes and yes! The professional poet comes in different shapes but his one sure trademark is that of complicity in his own work, his pandering to the dictates of the audience – Wordsworth realised this and rejected dictation from the public; his lowering of standard to meet the poetic fashion of the day as distinct from true innovation; his lowering of standards in style and theme – especially where such compromises his art and craft. The professional poet does nothing else but write poetry; he is a throw back to the old roman court poet, always ready to fawn, with an ego only smaller than that of his ‘client’ – whoever that might be. He is part of the problem, “lending pith to hollow reeds” as Soyinka puts it concerning a character in The Interpreters.
Amatoritsero Ede Editor
1. Fear, Trevor:
“The Poet as Pimp: Elegiac Seduction in the Time of
Augustus"
2. Akinyemi, Akintunde: "Positive Expression of Negative Attributes: An Aspect of Yoruba Court Poetry"Research in African Literatures – Volume 35, Number 3, Fall 2004, pp. 93-111
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