"Poetry is one to one," said 2010-11 U.S. Poet Laureate W. S. Merwin. "You read it to hear it."
Merwin has been a longtime presenter and attendee of the Sun Valley Writers' Conference. This year, he returned with a distinction awarded only to few master poets, that of U.S. poet laureate, appointed by the librarian of Congress in July.
He discussed some of the inspiration behind his work in an interview during the conference, held last weekend at Sun Valley Resort.
"One reason why people don't read poetry is because people find it difficult," he said. "It is a serious art. You have to stop everything and pay attention."
He said that unlike prose, poetry is not intended to supply information, but to capture the essence of a thing or of a moment. That takes time to absorb, he said.
At 82, Merwin can quote almost any poet or writer whenever necessary, but he has not only met the scribes of modern literature and poetry, he is one. He has twice received the Pulitzer Prize, and is a highly regarded essayist and translator with a career spanning five decades.
His first book, "A Mask for Janus," was chosen by W.H. Auden in 1952 for the Yale Younger Poets series. His book of poems "The Carrier of Ladders" was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1970. More than a dozen other poetry books, translations and prose have given Merwin the distinction of being one of America's most distinguished writers.
In 2004, Merwin received the Lannan Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Dying is not necessarily a way to look at age," he said. "Age is fulfillment. So few people get to write about being old."
Merwin lives in Maui, Hawaii, and has spent a great deal of his time preserving his living legacy, his home and his palm forest as a future study and retreat for botanists and writers. Within his 19 acres, he has more than 800 species of palms, which he planted over a period of 30 years. Merwin has created a sustainable forest at his tropical home, which has become the Merwin Conservancy.
As an honored poet and lover of the natural world, it is befitting for Merwin to be a steward of the land.
"It started with three acres," he said. "I am very passionate."
Merwin said he has been an environmentalist since he was 11, and his affection for the environment has always been a guiding force for him and his work.
Merwin said he does not like to leave home because traveling has become so difficult.
"Convenience is the bitch goddess of the modern world," he said. "And, I don't do e-mail—I escaped that."
In order to fulfill his obligations as poet laureate, Merwin must travel to Washington, D.C., and choose two to four other poets for readings at the Library of Congress for its poetry series.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
Photo by Barbi Reed, courtesy of Sun Valley Writers’ Conference
W. S. Merwin is the 17th U.S. poet laureate.
