tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364661476588393868.post3243196011949747481..comments2023-10-12T01:57:21.311-07:00Comments on Litterbug: Alan Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600883215748277587noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364661476588393868.post-73270738637616170592011-05-16T08:50:30.142-07:002011-05-16T08:50:30.142-07:00Alasdair's great - on the governing of empires...Alasdair's great - <i>on the governing of empires</i> is one of my very favourite recent books: he's also an excellent reader and a jolly nice chap. I remember him being quite good before he took his long break, but he's much sharper now.Aidan Semmenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06557740419796502719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364661476588393868.post-62576769720039331692011-05-15T13:27:29.875-07:002011-05-15T13:27:29.875-07:00Hi Aidan. It's the first Alisdair Paterson I&#...Hi Aidan. It's the first Alisdair Paterson I've read, and I'm well impressed. Taking a long break is obviously good for one's poetry, as you and Ed Baker (and George Oppen) can attest. Too late for me to take a long break :-)<br />And yes, applying Malthusian theories to poets might mean a sudden drop in numbers (though the Coalition cuts might have a similar effect).Alan Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04600883215748277587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364661476588393868.post-16978715713464709092011-05-14T12:52:20.749-07:002011-05-14T12:52:20.749-07:00Must read some Calvino - that excerpt is excellent...Must read some Calvino - that excerpt is excellent, Alan. As is your identification and analysis of the 'era of great numbers'. If blogger had a 'like' button I'd have hit it <i>before </i>I got to your mention of A Stone Dog! (And is that an Alasdair Paterson I haven't seen or read there... ?) <br />Can't help wondering, though, what a modern(ist) Malthus might predict for the future of poetry, though...Aidan Semmenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06557740419796502719noreply@blogger.com