[Vision2020] Ezra Pound? Pleeeeze!

[Tim Lohrmann]

--CAUTION: CONSIDERABLE LENGTH ALERT---

Ms Huskey, 

What you write is not only factually incorrect it is a
profound mis-characterization of the "trouble" with
Ezra Pound

Ole Ezra was in fact arrested only after the war in
1945, when he was brought back to the US to face
charges of treason. He then managed to convince a
panel of pros that he was insane to avoid these
charges. A decision that several of these doctors
later admitted was questionable. 

Many of his visitors also reported that Pound was
quite lucid and was working. His lack of publication
stemmed from the fact that most in the publishing
world loathed him as a bigoted traitor.  

The treason charges stemmed from fact that he had
participated enthusiastically in Mussolini's radio
broadcast campaign to discredit the US policy opposing
facism for years. He also praised both Mussolini's and
Hitler's "policies" for dealing with Jews as well.
Pound had written approvingly of Mussolini as early as
1935 and was known by his friends to be a long-time
and virulent anti-semite. As you can see, his
anti-semitic activity took place over the long term.
It was promoted by rational plans of action. They were
not part of a minor episode revealing clear insanity
as you seem to imply.

So, the difference between a writer with a mere
semi-private prejudice and Ezra Pound is considerable.
Pound actually helped Mussolini publicly his murderous
facist regime and praised Hitler's horrific attempt to
eliminate all Jews. 
 
At the end of his life, after Pound finished up his
stay in asylums (at least one of which he apparently
manipulated to allow himself extensive liberties and
visitors--a nice "alternative" to rigors of the prison
life he would have otherwise faced)he expressed
remorse for his facist and anti-semitic activity. But
apparently this remorse was only selfish regret. He
was sorry his pronouncements had tainted his work and
spoke of them as "irrelevencies."  

Most academics who have studied the matter agree that
Pound's work is tainted by his outrageous and barbaric
political views. 

If you enjoy him,knock yourself out,I was just
surprised of your particular choice of quotable poets.

TL



--- Melynda Huskey <mghuskey@hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Tim Lohrmann notes that: "Usually the work of openly
> racist, facist anti-semites is viewed as somewhat
> discredited. Pound was undeniably an "interesting"
> fellow and was even born in Idaho, but his
> treasonous speeches in favor of Mussolini and
> Hitler, his habitual anti-Jewish rants, and his
> apparent insanity don't lend much credence to his
> social commentary."
> 
> The poem I quoted was written in 1920.  It is not
> anti-Semitic, nor is it pro-fascist.  Pound was
> hospitalized in 1941 for mental illness, after
> making pro-fascist, profoundly anti-Semitic radio
> broadcasts in Italy.  He didn't write much poetry
> during or after that period.   
> 
> I'd suggest that it is unfair to assume that his
> later mental illness taints everything he wrote, and
> that you'd better be prepared to toss out nearly all
> of British and American literature if the work of
> open racists and anti-Semites is to be discarded,
> rather than evaluated.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Melynda Huskey
> 
>     
>   Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download
> : http://explorer.msn.com
> 


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