An exhaustive and brilliant biography of a magical poet

The only Robert Duncan book I had read before reading this was The Opening of the Field.

While this seminal book of Duncan’s impressed me greatly, I had no idea what kind of person had penned this great work. Thanks to Jarnot, I now know that Robert Duncan was an incredibly brilliant, garrulous, well-read and horny guy. His life would have been very different if he had never met Jess, who was not only the love of his life but also his caretaker and means of emotional support. Jess was also very forgiving of Duncan’s numerous infidelities.

There is also plenty of information in this book on other great poet contemporaries of Duncan’s such as Jack Spicer, Robert Creeley, Charles Olson, Robin Blaser, Denise Levertov and many more. I also learned much about some of Duncan’s bardic role models such as Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Louis Zukofsky and most importantly H.D.

I recommend this fantastic biography for all aspiring poets and writers.