A major work by an essential american poet, published in full for the first time. Charles reznikoffs testimony grass is the only way out henry miller miller and fraenkel, 105 provides us with the trajectorymap of reznikoffs testimony, and that map is one of serial splinters, grass, growth cuboseriality in bernsteins phrase reznikoffs idea, a poem of 450 segments or stems, systrophy grown against possible unity. With special reference to the work of charles reznikoff. Ideally, the identity of the artist and his personal loyalties and attachments should be as unobtrusive in a work of art as the bond watermark in paper, which becomes visible only when held up to the light of analysis. It draws comparisons between reznikoffs accounts of the lives of immigrants to america in his work, and jacques derridas. While hart crane worked at a new york advertising firm, he wrote lines of poetry on scraps of ad paper. Studies in testimony, issue one, volume one, 2018 the testimony of a poet. The languages of charles reznikoff journal of american. This article examines charles reznikoffs work testimony in light of theories of documentation and witness. Its first volume appeared in 1934, and the last appeared posthumously in 1978. Originally published on the guardian books blog 11 january 2011.
Kenneth burke, permanence and changeit is testimony, if anything, that founds the possibility of the poem. He is remembered as a kind of new york saint, an urban emily dickinson. To my mind, these works are amongst the greatest by an american poet, yet he is hardly known. His father was in the millinery business and the family moved several times during reznikoff s childhood, often to nonjewish neighborhoods, where he experienced the virulent antisemitism that. This paper examines the representation of american everyday life and the language of the legal system in the work of charles reznikoff.
Charles reznikoff s testimony is a lost masterpiece, a legendary book. Born in the brooklyn jewish community of the 1890s, charles reznikoff earned a law degree but did not practice for long. When asked by harriet munroe to provide an introduction to what became known as the objectivist issue of poetry, louis zukofsky provided his essay sincerity and objectification. He did work at a legal publishing firm in the 1930s, which proved a major inspiration in his writing. You can not just going with book store or library or loaning from your friends to read them. In holocaust poet charles reznikoffs subject is peoples suffering at the hand of another. Similar confusion arises between testimony, a collection of prose narratives. His father was in the millinery business and the family moved several times during reznikoffs. He lets the terrible history lay itself bare in historys own tongue. Culled from decades of actual courtroom transcripts, reznikoff poeticizes and reframes the testimony of victims of crimesparticularly african americans and the poorto provide an innovative epic of america. He began his career as a poet, however, as an imagist.
The multivolume testimony was based on court records and explored the experiences of immigrants, black people and the urban and rural poor in the united states in the late nineteenth and early. Focusing on three volumes published by the objectivist press in 1934charles reznikoffs testimony, george oppens discrete series, and william carlos williams collected poems, 19211931the book examines both photographic and linguistic images, along pdf with criticism, correspondence, transcripts of interviews and lectures, contemporary. Essays and criticism on charles reznikoff reznikoff, charles. These recitatives, as he called them, tell the stories of some five hundred court cases from all over this country and deal with a broad segment of the american population, urban and rural. Despite his self consciousness and feelings of insecurity, reznikoff was an excellent student. Objectivist poet, used for holocaust a documentary technique he had perfected in his twovolume.
Reznikoff, charles 18941976 an american poet, novelist, translator, and legal editor, reznikoff was primarily known as an. Charles reznikoffs 1934 testimony and the idiom of american. Charles reznikoff charles reznikoff poems poem hunter. The lost origins of the essay the making of the american essay the next american essay. Scott fitzgerald the crackup 4 g 1939 g james agee brooklyn is 429 g 1940 g walter abish what else 455. Reznikoff trained as a lawyer but never practiced law, choosing. These poems are based on law reports, focused through the ear and eye of a master poet. Grass is the only way out henry miller miller and fraenkel, 105 provides us with the. Charles reznikoff s testimony may be one of the most influential obscure works of poetry produced in the twentieth century. He wrote narrative poems based on old testament sources.
This summer i read charles reznikoffs long poem testimony. Charles reznikoffs testimony is a lost masterpiece, a legendary book that stands alongside louis zukofskys a and william carlos williamss paterson as a milestone of modern american poetry. Back in november, books blog readers were asked to name their favourite book of 2010. What is missing from testimony is the customary idealistic hero, the one last encountered in walt whitmans leaves of grass who doesnt avert his eyes from suffering and sordidness, but who nevertheless is full of hope for a better future. Charles reznikoff created two unique works of poetic art of the 20th century. Now, im pretty sure most of you have never heard of either. Quartercloth and illustrated paper over boards, in acetate dustjackets, as issued. The sales of all the volumes summed together cannot have reached one thousand copies. Essays and criticism on charles reznikoff critical essays. Charles reznikoff charles reznikoff poems best poems.
Testimony paperback by charles reznikoff, eliot ed. Richard hyland, distinguished professor, rutgers law school, camden, new jersey, has compiled the fullest account of the sources of a charles reznikoff poem, together with a detailed commentary on the amelia kirwan case and the poem reznikoff wrote based on this case. Testimony is perhaps reznikoff s most important achievement as a poet. Charles reznikoff was born in the jewish neighborhood of brownsville in. This is an extremely basic method to exactly get guide by online. The audio recording and accompanying photographs were made on december 21, 1975 in charles reznikoffs nyc apartment.
Charles reznikoff american translator and poet britannica. Her work was to count linings the days seconds in dozens. Charles reznikoff, american translator and poet affiliated with the objectivist school of poetry, who wrote poetry based on actual documents and events that was moral in purpose. Charles reznikoff was born in the jewish neighborhood of brownsville in brooklyn, new york, to nathan and sarah yetta wolvosky reznikoff, immigrants from russia fleeing the pogroms of the 1880s. C harles reznikoff may be the most elusive poet in american poetry and his booklength testimony the most elusive long poem of modernism. Each volume is one of a hundred copies handbound by earle gray, with an original page of reznikoffs corrected manuscript bound in. Charles reznikoff reads from holocaust, new york city, december 21, 1975 recorded by filmmaker abraham ravett. Recitative reznikoff, charles, weinberger, eliot on. Reznikoffs testimony american association of law libraries. Editing corpus juris, charles reznikoff became obsessed with the stories of suffering preserved in published cases of the national. Recitative is a compilation of case summaries, a sequence of selfcontained pieces. Testimony, by charles reznikoff, eliot weinberger pdf testimony, by charles reznikoff, eliot weinberger epub testimony, by charles reznikoff, eliot weinberger doc.
Charles reznikoff august 31, 1894 january 22, 1976 was the poet for whom the term objectivist was first coined. The languages of charles reznikoff volume 45 issue 2 ian davidson. Transcription, witness, and poetic documentation in charles reznikoff s testimony trevor laurence jockims in his introducon to against expression 2011, craig dworkin designates echo as the. Charles reznikoffs testimony may be one of the most influential obscure works of poetry produced in the twentieth century. Weinberger and a great selection of similar used, new and collectible books available now at. Recitative a documentpoem drawn from the voices of witnesses, victims, and perpetrators discovered by the author in criminal court transcripts, charles reznikoff s booklength objectivist work sets forth a stark panorama of late 19th and early 20th century america. As objectivists, their work has been said to be patterned after jewish culture, judaism, jewishness, and other denominations for that denomination. Charles reznikoff 18941976, the son of russian garment workers, was an american original. Of all the poets loosely gathered under the objectivist label coined by zukofsky for harriet monroes poetry magazine in 1931, none. Testimony the united states 18911900 annotated copy paperback book 1968. Available again for the first time since 1978and complete in one volume for the first time evercharles reznikoffs testimony is a lost masterpiece, a legendary book that stands alongside louis zukofskys a and william carlos williamss paterson as a milestone. Available again for the first time since 1978and complete in one volume for the first time ever. Charles reznikoffs 1934 testimony and the idiom of.
Charles reznikoff reads from holocaust, plus rare photos december 26, 2007. Charles reznikoff august 31, 1894 january 22, 1976 was an american poet best known for his long work, testimony. Poets are always finding ways to write poetry on the job. In 1920, charles reznikoff, the son of jewishrussian immigrants, published the following short, untitled poem.