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Authors:

Thom Gunn quotes

British Poet August 29, 1929 – April 25, 2004

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Quotes

It was difficult being a teacher and out of the closet in the '50s. By the time I retired, the English department was proud of having a gay poet of a certain minor fame. It was a very satisfactory change! Thom Gunn
I had assumed that I would age with all my friends growing old around me, dying off very gradually one by one. And here was a plague that cut them off so early. Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn quote: "I work best in rhyme and meter. I was most confident of myself..."
I work best in rhyme and meter. I was most confident of myself in that way. Thom Gunn
The snail pushes through a greennight, for the grass is heavywith water and meets overthe bright path he makes, where rain has darkened the earth's dark. Hemoves in a wood of desire, pale antlers barely stirringas he hunts. I cannot tellwhat power is at work, drenched therewith purpose, knowing nothing. What is a snail's fury? All. I think is that if later. I parted the blades abovethe tunnel and saw the thintrail of broken white acrosslitter, I would never haveimagined the slow passionto... Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn quote: "Deep feeling doesn't make for good poetry. A way with language..."
Deep feeling doesn't make for good poetry. A way with language would be a bit of help. Thom Gunn
We learned in the university to consider Wordsworth and Keats as Romantics. They were only a generation apart, but Wordsworth didn't even read Keats's book when he gave him a copy. Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn quote: "Their relationship consisted. In discussing if it existed."
Their relationship consisted. In discussing if it existed. Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn quote: "As humans we look at things and think about what we've looked..."
As humans we look at things and think about what we've looked at. We treasure it in a kind of private art gallery. Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn quote: "My old teacher's definition of poetry is an attempt to..."
My old teacher's definition of poetry is an attempt to understand. Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn quote: "I don't know how to sit outside myself and test against a..."
I don't know how to sit outside myself and test against a hypothetical self who stayed home. Thom Gunn
When I first started teaching at Berkeley in 1958, I could not announce that I was gay to anybody, though probably quite a few of my fellow teachers knew. Thom Gunn
I deliberately wrote a poem in my last book where I was suggesting that there are other passions as great as or more important than the passion of sex. Thom Gunn
I deliberately decided to write a kind of guide to leather bars for straight people, for people not into leather, so that people could see what it was all about. Thom Gunn
While I don't satisfy my curiosity about the way I work, I'm terribly curious about the way other poets work. But I would think that's true about many of us. Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn quote: "We control the content of our dreams."
We control the content of our dreams. Thom Gunn

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