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For the week of October 25 through 31, 2000

A father of Modernism

A celebration of Ezra Pound’s 115th birthday


By ADAM TANOUS
Express Arts Editor

Ezra Pound lived a life as full as it was controversial. Born in Hailey on Oct. 30, 1885, Pound went on to become one of the most innovative and influential poets of the 20th century.

The Ezra Pound Association and the Friends of the Hailey Public Library will celebrate the 115th birthday of the Hailey native with an evening of poetry, music, and art entitled An Arts Extravaganza. The event will be held Monday at 7 p.m. in the library meeting room.

Ted Dyer, the Pound Association vice president, will give a short presentation on Pound and then read some of his poetry. Following Dyer’s talk, the microphone will be opened up to the public. To date, guitarist Armando Alcalde, ballet dancer Julie Fox and friends, and artist Les Shanahan are slotted to make presentations. Anyone interested in presenting or performing should arrive early to sign up on the first-come, first-served list.

Considered to be one of the fathers of Modernism—literature of non-linear narratives, revelation of interior consciousness, and spare, precise language—Pound influenced some of the century’s best writers, including Robert Frost, D.H. Lawrence, James Joyce, T.S. Eliot and Ernest Hemingway.

Pound also became notorious for his political views. Living in Italy during WWII, Pound made pro-fascist radio broadcasts. In 1945 he was arrested by U.S. forces and jailed. Back in the U.S., he was about to face trial for treason when a panel of doctors pronounced him "insane and mentally unfit for trial." After 12 years in a hospital for the criminally insane, Pound was released and he returned to Italy. He lived out his life there and died in Venice in 1972.

The Ezra Pound Association is dedicated to restoring the birthplace of Pound at Second Avenue and Pine Street as a center for creativity and cultural study.

The Monday night event is free. For further information call 788-4450 or 788-4318.

 

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