Supernerdy poet confession relating to Ashbery
Since S is a fiction writer, we often get into the whose-genre-is-better tussle--playfully, of course. But a few years ago, in the heat of the discussion, we each pulled a book off the shelves and let random lines duke it out. Just flip & pick, flip & pick.
Ashbery beat the crap out of just about anything S's team could bring. He changed books a couple of times, even.
The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens consistenly beat Ashbery's
The Mooring of Starting Out though, in a poetic head-to-head.
UPDATE: Care for a little rematch, hubby?
