Clark, Tom (Olson, Charles; Glover, Albert)

Charles Olson: The Allegory of a Poet's Life

ISBN: 0393029581
New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 1991. First Printing. Hardcover. “The American poet Charles Olson (1910-70) was a large man, not only in physical size, energies, and appetites, but in the mythic dimension with which he invested both his work and his life. He believed that ‘the whole world & all experience is, no matter how real, only a system of metaphor for the allegory (Keats called it) a man’s life is,’ and his own life had all the elements of a parabolic tale. It was a difficult voyage of self-exploration, taking him from obscure beginnings to great achievement, at no little personal cost.” (from front flap) This highly controversial biography of Charles Olson by Tom Clark (1941-2018) has been challenged from numerous angles for its warts-and-all portrayal of Olson, as well as for a few conjectures Clark makes about the author of The Maximus Poems from a psychological standpoint. Whatever can be said of this biography, it is sure that Clark diligently composed a detailed, comprehensive portrait of a man fiercely motivated by accusations of incompetence and his own surging ambition. This copy is made special by the fact that it hails from the collection of an enormously important PhD student of Charles Olson’s, the great Albert Glover (b. 1942), and contains a detailed, handwritten postcard by Clark to Glover which we found & have retained between pp. 34-35. It also contains a small amount of marginalia from Glover, which is itself of major value, and a photograph of an unknown guitarist is affixed to the rear pastedown. A one-of-one copy of a must-have Olson collectible. From the collection of Albert Glover, the acclaimed American poet, author, bibliographer, editor & publisher whom we're honored to be acquainted with, & who is the foremost living authority on Charles Olson [1910-1970], the canonical American poet among the most Gigantic (literally & literarily) men-of-letters of the twentieth century—our favorite Maximus Obscurantist. Glover studied with & was anointed by the Maximus Master himself, & has outstandingly served as his bibliographer & editor (see for example our item No. 8126). Hardcover in unclipped dust-jacket: “First Edition,” as indicated on copyright page; First Printing, as indicated by number sequence thereon. Book in strong near fine condition inside and out with only minute-to-moderate shelf-wear to fine-edges & corners of front, back covers & spine-edge and gift inscription present at FFEP from year of publication in thin, black ink that reads: “Albert Glover / The teacher is / remembered. / Dan Conaway (’83) / March 2, 1991.” Dust-jacket in similarly strong near fine condition with only minute-to-moderate shelf-wear, light rubbing, some light bumping & related bump-creasing to fine-edges & corners of front, back covers & spine-edge; minute-to-moderate age-toning present variously, throughout; otherwise, generally clean. Very Fine / Fine. [Item #8540]

Price: $100.00