The Daily Flamer Spotlight: Ron Silliman's Blurbocaust

I wouldn't be the first person to intimate that Ron Silliman is a poetry glutton. He consumes books as if the study of literature were a pie-eating contest. His own books of poetry are Big Important Works, filled with impressive numbers of words piled awkwardly on top of each other. We must be bludgeoned by the density of his project.

Lately I've noticed that he is also producing, at a staggering rate, the most grizzly, hyberbolic, and truly absurd blurbage of our time. Surely he can't be serious? Is his enthusiasm for every cheap new design at the mfa SuperTarget of Poetry sincere? Does it make him feel he's "In the Zone" -- rushing with his cart through the aisles of the Poetry Career Supermarket Sweepstakes? Is this what happens when one greedily reads too much poetry just to keep up with trends? Or is this simply a crass move mounted to ensure that the poets he slobbers upon and their ragged schools are indentured to pay homage to him in the future? How much does Silliman's career as a market analyst in the computer industry inform his approach to poetics and poetry world socio-politicking?

Let's look at the first paragraph of recent review on Silliman's weblog of Joseph Massey's chapbook Bramble. (In fairness, since I have not read this book, my criticism of Silliman's blurbing practice does not necessarily extend to Massey's work; however, I think I can fairly say, looking at the work quoted, that this is not, as Silliman absurdly claims, in the realm of the best poetry ever crafted.)

"One great consequence of this weblog is that people send me books & magazines that they want me to see. Some are just so-so, a few are real cringers, but I’m struck at how high the overall quality is – many are much more than “merely competent.” People who decide after all to tackle this most difficult (& deeply underappreciated) art form really do, to appropriate a sports phrase, put themselves out there, leaving everything on the page. That is one reason why I’m such an optimist about poetry, and why I can say with confidence that we have more good poets active right now than ever before, especially if I frame that clearly, say, for example, within the United States. On top of all this a few books just jump out at me & really rock."

Note the emphasis put on the United States. Note the optimism connected with over-production. Note the hep talk (it rocks).

Optimism!
Confidence!
USA!
It's like an Exxon ad in The New Yorker.


But it gets worse:

Joseph Massey’s Bramble is not only a joy to read – I’ve already done so more than once – but it’s unusual & remarkable in several ways. The most important of these is the writing.


From what I can surmise Silliman wants us, the readers, to understand that this book is really a remarkable, unusual book and a joy to read; but get this -- that's mostly because of the writing. Fascinating, is it not? Have we come to this? That we need to actually make a point of saying in a review that we like a book of poetry because of the writing? He Doth Protest Too Much.

The poet is routinely congratulated for having "a good ear", and then, as is the custom in Silli-land, crowned like a spoiled child at a Burger King birthday party; Silliman quotes from one of Massey's poems and declares:

I don’t think it’s possible, frankly, to craft a better poem than that last one.

Joseph Massey is writing some of the best work of our time, and it’s accessible to boot. He’s a post-avant even Ted Kooser should be able to love.



And why shouldn't I believe him?