99 Poets/1999

An International Poetics Symposium

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Edited by Charles Bernstein

Duke University Press

Due/Published March 1999, 260 pages, paper

ISBN 0822364670

A special issue of boundary 2

 99 Poets/1999 presents the work of ninety-nine poets in dialogue with one another across the divides of language, culture, and temperament. With contributions from the Americas, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and China, the volume features responses to questions posed by the guest editor Charles Bernstein—responses that range from historical to imaginary and from philosophical to poetic.

Each poet was asked to ponder a series of questions: Is identity an important issue for your work, and, if so, in what sense? What do you see as the most urgent, yet insufficiently addressed or considered, issue or issues for poetry and poetics at this moment? Do you see your work in the context of a national state, or in the context of international capital, or in some other context?

After years of exchange between the artists—through translations, readings, and visits—the result is a collection of unique and significant literary works, one that is richly suggestive for the future not only of poetry but of literary and cultural studies as well.

Review

Globalization has made its mark everywhere, so why not poetry? In this unique gathering of poets from around the world, contributors speculate on the current state of poetry and poetics. The contributors also explore how nationality and a globalized world has influenced their work. Editor Charles Bernstein wisely gives the contributors free rein and the responses are diverse in both content and style (ranging from the essay to the poem). As both poetry and a commentary on poetry, this special issue of Boundary 2 is a rare and exciting opportunity to hear from poets in a dialogue that is crucial for understanding the state and possibilities for poetry in today’s world. Contributors include: Adonis, Robin Blaser, Nicole Brossard, Bob Cobbing, Robert Creeley, Mahmoud Darwish, Dubravka Djuric, Johanna Drucker, Pierre Joris, Edouard Glissant, and many others.