3 December 2020 Howard Nemerov The nice thing about the Bible is it doesn’t give you too many facts. Two an a half lines and it tells you the whole story and that leaves you a great deal of freedom to elaborate on how it might have happened.
3 December 2020 Howard Nemerov History is one of those marvelous and necessary illusions we have to deal with. It’s one of the ways of dealing with our world with impossible generalities which we couldn’t live without.
3 December 2020 Howard Nemerov For a Jewish Puritan of the middle class, the novel is serious, the novel is work, the novel is conscientious application why, the novel is practically the retail business all over again.
3 December 2020 Howard Nemerov I never abandoned either forms or freedom. I imagine that most of what could be called free verse is in my first book. I got through that fairly early.
3 December 2020 Howard Nemerov Nothing in the universe can travel at the speed of light, they say, forgetful of the shadow’s speed.
3 December 2020 Howard Nemerov The secrets of success are a good wife and a steady job. My wife told me.
3 December 2020 Howard Nemerov I’ve never read a political poem that’s accomplished anything. Poetry makes things happen, but rarely what the poet wants.
3 December 2020 Howard Nemerov I do insist on making what I hope is sense so there’s always a coherent narrative or argument that the reader can follow.
