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Subject:
From:
Daniel Pearlman <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Ezra Pound discussion list of the University of Maine <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 22 May 1998 13:43:44 -0400
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When I visited EP, Olga, and Mary (in their separate
residences, of course) in 1968, it was either Olga
or Mary who confided that Pound had not written any
new poetry since 1960.  If recent scholarship proves
otherwise, I bow to it.
 
However, one has to bear in mind what may not be
sufficiently known: that Olga, in Pound's later years,
became not only EP's spokesperson, but to some
degree his ghost writer.  I forget which book it is
right now, but there is an introductory page to a late
collection of EP's that mentions Jung as a source of
Pound's artistic inspiration.  This Intro appears to
be by Pound.  More probably, however, it was written
by Olga--with Pound's "consent," of course--but I
don't think he cared much to argue at that point.
 
In any case, by the late 60's, Olga had become EP's
alter ego.  In fact, except for my initial one-hour
meeting with Pound *alone*, Olga almost never let
Pound answer a direct question from me.  Maybe she
was trying to save his energy, or maybe she was
embarrassed at the slowness of his own responses,
but there were times when EP was on the verge of
responding that Olga cut in--and that was the end
of it.  In fact, it got to the embarrassing point
of my asking *Olga* questions that I wanted to
direct to Pound!  It was as if EP wasn't even there!
(I don't think he gave a damn.  He was extremely
grateful to Olga for keeping him going at that
point.)
 
==Dan
Dan Pearlman                    Office: Department of English
102 Blackstone Blvd. #5                 University of Rhode Island
Providence, RI 02906                    Kingston, RI 02881
Tel.: 401 453-3027                      Tel.: 401 874-4659
email: [log in to unmask]            Fax:  401 874-2580

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