July 1, 1997
The Miner
From THE KENYON REVIEW Summer 1957 With a mountain on top of him from The first day, he learns not to think Impractically about the place His life depends on. […]
July 1, 1997
The Nine Days of Creation
from THE KENYON REVIEW, SUMMER 1956 The first day of Creation All things, love, alone were, Darkness the lonely creature; Clove us then Love with good light For two can […]
July 1, 1997
Ballad of John Cable and Three Gentlemen
from THE KENYON REVIEW, AUTUMN 1951 He that had come that morning, One after the other, Over seven hills, Each of a new color, Came now by the last tree, […]
July 1, 1997
The Last Troubadour
KENYON REVIEW CLASSIC: W. S. Merwin Commentary It would be hard to name an American poet whose early poetry—in the light of his or her later accomplishment—has been so […]
July 1, 1997
Canso
From THE KENYON REVIEW, AUTUMN 1953 I believe at dark solstice in the white moon sailing new, And in my love, and in her hand, though the green shoot withered, […]
April 1, 1997
The Verbal Analysis: From “My Credo: A Symposium of Critics”
from THE KENYON REVIEW, AUTUMN 1950 When I was asked by letter to contribute to the symposium from Peking, my first impulse was to say that I didn’t believe in […]
April 1, 1997
Criticism Untrammeled
EDITOR’S NOTE: My Credo: A Symposium of Critics appeared in the Autumn 1950 issue of The Kenyon Review. William Empson’s “The Verbal Analysis” was the fourth of four essays in […]
July 1, 1996
A Social Critique of Radio Music
From the Spring 1945 issue. Some would approach the problem of radio by formulating questions of this type: If we confront such and such a sector of the population with […]
July 1, 1996
Theses upon Art and Religion Today
From the Autumn 1945 issue. I. The lost unity between art and religion, be it regarded as wholesome or as hampering, cannot be regained at will. This unity was not […]
July 1, 1996
Adorno’s Ascetic Formula
In 1945 Adorno published two essays in The Review, one on the broadcasting of classical music on the radio, the other on the need for a continued separation between art […]
April 1, 1996
Safety
From the Autumn 1958 issue. Lightly in winter dusk, immured from snow Between two hills where no men dare for long, The calm owl wooed his cold beloved […]
April 1, 1996
Re: Wright
We are building a huge cottage industry out of the ranking and aligning of cultural works and literary authors. The two Blooms—Harold and Allan—have constructed, quite independently, their lists of […]