I have never written a book about Pound or attended one of these famous
conferences.  It must be fun for you guys to get paid for studying Pound. I
work hard outside the academy for a living.  I have a young family.  I read
Pound for pleasure. Is that odd?


>From: Leon Surette <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Ezra Pound discussion list of the University of Maine
>  <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Garrick Davis Review
>Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 15:49:02 -0400
>
>Dear Poundians,
>
>     I have read Mr. Davis's "review" of four books which discuss Pound
>poetry and politics. The most recent of these books was published in 1989,
>and the earliest in 1980. It is difficult to understand how his piece
>qualifies as a review.
>     It is, in fact, a diatribe against the entire class of Pound scholars
>masquerading as a review. The four books he selects are not as bad as he
>makes out, nor are they representative of the scholarly discussion of
>Pound's political and racial views.
>     Tim Redman's POUND IN ITALY, the edition of Pound's letters to Olivia
>Agresti I did with Demetres Tryphonopoulos, I CEASE NOT TO YOWL, Alec
>Marsh's MONEY AND MODERNITY, and my new book, POUND IN PURGATORY all offer
>balanced perspectives on Pound's engagement in economics and politics. And
>there are other books which need to be considered as well. The issue is
>complex, and not to be resolved by denunciation and selective citation in
>the manner of Mr. Davis.
>     In fact, Pound's reputation is much higher than Mr. Davis imagines--at
>least in North America and on the continent. It may be true that the
>British
>have scorned and neglected Pound, but there is a strong contingent of
>British scholars who regularly attend the Pound conferences, and even write
>books about him that are respectful and responsible. And, in any case, the
>British are much inclined to scorn and neglect of foreigners. Perhaps Mr.
>Davis was unaware that Wendy Flory was British despite her American
>location. Otherwise he has excepted British scholars who have written on
>Pound with some apologetic attention to his politics from his condemnation.
>     It is difficult to understand what contribution Mr. Davis believes
>himself to be making to the study of Pound's poetry and career.
>
>Leon Surette
>English Dept.
>University of Western Ontario
>London, Ont.
>N6A 3K7

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