tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676463.post8337387453567455416..comments2024-03-28T19:17:01.550+13:00Comments on The Imaginary Museum: Something to Say: i.m. John O'ConnorDr Jack Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01805945600952222957noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676463.post-1265587835172397302016-02-16T18:53:56.454+13:002016-02-16T18:53:56.454+13:00Yes I did, I have books by both in my poetry secti...Yes I did, I have books by both in my poetry section. Fortunately you are still with us. It was your book I "critiqued". I see I have written comments on my copy and I liked a lot of your poems in Stone Moon (not all of course, but then I don't like many of my own poems!)... I also have two books by John O'Connor. And somehow I also forget which of you wrote essays in PNZ but I am sure you wrote some and I liked them...So, hopefully no harm done. <br /><br />Jack knew the other John and you also. Thanks for commenting. It is a pity more people don't respond via Jack or some of the other poet-bloggers. I know that Twitter etc are somewhat taking over but Blogs still have a place I think, as do of course, non-electronic journals. <br /><br />I myself am longing for the day all electronic and computer things get knocked out and we have to write letters etc again (not that I ever wrote many letters, but it was a better world pre computers etc)...<br /><br />But I hope all is well. Richard.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10272507198753290435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676463.post-74667333114226360762016-02-16T09:44:04.598+13:002016-02-16T09:44:04.598+13:00Hi Richard, I think you haven't mixed John O&#...Hi Richard, I think you haven't mixed John O'Connor with me. Your comments seem to be about the man and poet I knew.John Allisonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676463.post-27782397122137003242015-05-22T20:22:29.445+12:002015-05-22T20:22:29.445+12:00I wonder if I mixed him up with John Allison. I ke...I wonder if I mixed him up with John Allison. I keep doing that kind of thing. I cant recall. I do remember poems by John O'Connor though which were very good. Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10272507198753290435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676463.post-74392855100350192742015-05-18T23:27:10.531+12:002015-05-18T23:27:10.531+12:00Remember I reviewed a book of John's in Pander...Remember I reviewed a book of John's in Pander. I'm sure it was him. And my review was anonymous, and he didn't like your review (?) at the time: but he praised mine as perceptive or something. Hamish objected though, that I had suggested ways for him to improve his Haibuns and Haikus. Telling, if not God what to do, what poets should do to improve their poems...well I thought, if I crit. and suggest improvements, he might change or ignore, but better than just saying that it is not very good or weak in parts etc, so more positive to suggest improvements. Now, he actually appreciated my suggestions! (I am sure, he pointed to mine in contrast to yours Jack!) But that was a long time ago and he wrote a lot more books since then...<br /><br />I saw that somewhere a few months back. I had seen that in some of his Haibuns or whatever they were, that, for my way of thinking, the SUBJECT or even the object could be left out. (I mean I might well have needed a similar "crtique" but I think I was awake to the kind of trap I saw he fell into (my faults were numerous but I wasn't being reviwed!). The leaving off, for me, made the event or process in his poem more universal, and increased the mystery, the magic and the power of the words he was using, and I could see he could write well. <br /><br />I did like some poems he wrote set on a beach...<br /><br />And, indeed, I did see some of his other poems that were very good. I only have 'Citizen of No Mean City: Poems and Verse 1983-1985. Concept Publishing, 1985.' on my shelf. But I will add vols of his when I see them at a reasonable price. I mean I am as much a collator, or collector, or amasser as anything else. I am not quite up to the tonnage of the huge Mairangi Bay archives though...<br /><br />But that quote above is indeed quite moving. I think some of his short attempts at satire in the book I have are simply silly (just as I think probably Ed Dorn of 'Gunslinger' is probably better than the Ed Dorn of 'Abhorrences'). <br /><br />But it is sad to hear he has died. He sounds as though he was a likeable man. D'Arcy Cresswell. I wrote an essay for Smithyman on some writing by him, the writing was clever and a bit tongue in cheek. Smithyman said it was published in something but then withdrawn (when he marked my essay, which got good marks - 1968). <br />Your poem is typical of that unique, almost fragmented style you have evolved Jack. <br /><br />Are some of the lines things O'Conner said or does it reflect events unfolding etc Interesting though, in any case?<br /><br />Good that you have archived his works at least the names of the books. Good work done. <br /><br />Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10272507198753290435noreply@blogger.com