Critic Profile: Stephen Burt


Written on September 27, 2010 – 4:30 pm | by mwhitfie

A well respected literary critic, Stephen Burt is particularly occupied with, and interested in, the poetic realm. Throughout his career, he has been published on various platforms (i.e., magazines, newspapers), and his work involves the criticism and creation of poetry.

Close Calls With NonsenseBurt boasts six books under his scholarly belt, his most recent being Close Calls with Nonsense: Reading New Poetry (2009), in which he summons both the inexperienced and the seasoned poetry reader to find poetry that matters to them. He says, “The poets I know don’t want to be famous people half so much as they want their best poems read; I want to help you find and read them. I write here for people who want to read more new poetry.”  To some, poetry speaks a totally different language; a language that requires translation. This can be a turn-off, a load too heavy to carry.  In Close Calls with Nonsense, Stephen Burt attempts to, and succeeds in, creating a remedy for the intimidation that poetry can so often present.

Also on Burt’s extensive literary resume is an assortment of essays and reviews for esteemed publications, including The Boston Review, The New York Times Book Review and the Poetry Society’s Poetry Review. One such review stands out among critics as being influential in the world of poetry: In a 1998 essay for The Boston Review, Burt introduces the term “elliptical poetry,” which has since been reinterpreted and expanded upon. To Burt, the label of “elliptical poetry” is largely a way to depict a poet, rather than a poem. It alludes to a poet with a manic frame of mind, and a slightly jumbled poetic vision. (Sounds like my cup of tea, actually). In short, and to simplify, “elliptical poets” are like the Jim Carey’s of film, or the Mariah Carey’s of music; over-the-top and frenzied, and most of the time, fabulous.

For all of this and more, Stephen Burt is a leading poet-critic, and is held in high esteem by others in his arena. To boot, he is a professor at Harvard University where he teaches English (not the language), and where he has recently received tenure. Check out his personal blog where he casually imparts his brilliance and provides insight into the sometimes scary, most times elliptic but the always beautiful world of poetry.

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  1. 2 Responses to “Critic Profile: Stephen Burt”

  2.   By acusuman on Sep 27, 2010 |

    I remember always finding it strange to critique poetry in high school because it always feels so personal and always has a deeper meaning than what’s on the surface. But I like the approach he took with the “Smokes” review; it’s pretty innovative.

  3.   By dkois on Oct 20, 2010 |

    This is great! The idea of elliptical poetry as the “Mariah Carey of poetry” is hilarious. 10/10

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