Reading poetry

In the last ten years, my reading has largely been plays, since, living in New York in retirement, I spend much time going to theater. Before that, inevitably, my reading was predominantly scholarly books in the area of art and architecture as needed in my professional pursuit. Otherwise, I read more poetry than prose; I was slow in building my repertory of novels. This is a propensity that started when I came to study in the US at 19; while in Japan I read more novels. I like poetry; that is undeniable. But there was also a less than honorable reason. Having started to read in English, I quickly discovered that I could finish a book of poems more quickly than a novel, since each page had fewer words and more blank space. But the real reason is that my temperament runs for conciseness, concentration, and cadence, i.e., concern for pattern, rhythm, and design, in poetry and prose alike.


04/08/11