United States, (1914-1997)
The Pig
- roots for acorns which
- snuffling he brings to
- the goddess it is about
- the limit of the pigly
- intelligence but at
- least he can do that.
About the Poet:
James Laughlin, United States, (1914-1997), was a poet and literary book publisher who founded New Directions Publishing. In 1933, he enrolled in Harvard University, but did not agree with the conservatism of his teachers. He took a leave of absence during his sophomore year and traveled to France, where he met popular modernist writer Gertrude Stein. He soon got in touch with Ezra Pound in Italy and stayed with Pound for six months to enroll in his “Ezuversity” (Pound’s term for his private tutoring sessions with Laughlin). Eventually, Pound dismissed Laughlin’s poetry and suggested he become a publisher instead.
Laughlin returned to Harvard, and in 1936, as a twenty-two-year-old sophomore, founded New Directions Publishing with money from his father. He published books out of a cottage on his families property in Norfolk, Connecticut. Laughlin built this humble beginning into a powerhouse publishing business that specialized in new and modern poets and authors, and dedicated to publishing quality works with little regard to their chances for commercial success. In 1992, Laughlin received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. [DES-01/22]