Ben Lerner said this quote

“ I believe she imbued my body thus, finding every touch enhanced by ambiguity of intention, as if it too required translation, and so each touch branched out, became a variety of touches. ”

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Our contempt for any particular poem must be perfect, be total, because only a ruthless reading that allows us to measure the gap between the actual and the virtual will enable to to experience, if not a genuine poem—no such thing—a place for the genuine, whatever that might mean.

~ Ben Lerner

Ben Lerner Actual Contempt Experience Gap Genuine Measure Particular Perfect Poem Reading Ruthless Total Virtual

Poetry arises from the desire to get beyond the finite and the historical—the human world of violence and difference—and to reach the transcendent or divine. You're moved to write a poem, you feel called upon to sing, because of that transcendent impulse. But as soon as you move from that impulse to the actual poem, the song of the infinite is compromised by the finitude of its terms.

~ Ben Lerner

Ben Lerner Actual Desire Divine Finite Historical Human Impulse Infinite Poem Poetry Transcendent Violence World

Since the world is ending,” Peter quoted from behind us, “why not let the children touch the paintings?

~ Ben Lerner

Ben Lerner Children Ending Paintings World

There were the usual exhortations to purity – think of the novel not as your opportunity to get rich or famous but to wrestle, in your own way, with the titans of the form – exhortations poets don’t have to make, given the economic marginality of the art, an economic marginality that soon all literature will share.

~ Ben Lerner

Ben Lerner Authors Literature Novel Writing