Later revised and published under the title Other Traditions, Ashbery's six lectures explore the work of relatively-unknown poets who, for him, are more than mere inspirations, but rather serve as "a poetic jump-start for times when the batteries have run down." You'll find all six talks — "John Clare: 'Grey Openings Where the Light Looks Through,'" "Olives and Anchovies: The Poetry of Thomas Lovell Beddoes," "'The Unthronged Oracle:' Laura Riding," "The Bachelor Machines of Raymond Roussel," "David Schubert: 'This Is the Book That No One Knows,'" and "'Why Must You Know:' The Poetry of John Wheelwright" — on our Ashbery author page, along with an amazing wealth of readings, lectures, interviews and radio programs spanning more than sixty years.
As always, we extend our gratitude to David Kermani and the Ashbery estate, along with Harvard's Woodberry Poetry Room (specifically Christina Davis), for their help in making these marvelous recordings available. Click on here to start listening.
