48. Nichts als Alkohol und Gedichte

Ein Gedicht des Pulitzer-Preisträgers Franz Wright (–> 22, L&P 04/04), NYT 15.4.04 / Hier ein Artikel über das Verhältnis zu seinem Vater James Wright, ebenfalls ein Dichter, der den Pulitzer-Preis 1972 erhielt.

He grew up in a milieu of poets. John Berryman, another drunk, was a friend of his father’s when they taught at the University of Minnesota. „That didn’t help much with the alcoholism,“ Mr. Wright said. Theodore Roethke, a manic-depressive, jiggling his big belly, recited his children’s poems to young Franz: „There Once was a cow with a Double Udder/When I think of it now, I just have to Shudder!“

Mr. Wright observed, „I thought that all adults were insane drunks and chain smokers.“ The exception was his mother, Liberty.

And all grown-ups did was talk poetry. When Mr. Wright was 5, he recalled, he said to his parents: „Excuse me. Do you think, because it’s my birthday, we could not talk about poetry today?“