University of South Carolina Libraries
MICHA Certain American writers become personalities. Other writers create and live in obscurity. In England, almost any writer who has established himself will have some small dedicated showing. To Po Michael Hamburger agrees with / 0 T. S. Eliot--writing poetry is a a mug's game. The British poet, spending the a fall as a visiting professor at USC, ii explained that a mug's game is one ii which is foolish or unprofitable. That's the title he's given his t autobiography, which will be r published next month in London. h Hamburger has been a poet since F his teens. His first published poem was at 17, before serving in the I British -Army, and his first book ( appeared when he was 19. Since ( 1950 he has had eight books of v original poetry published, the most v recent, "Ownerless Earth: New t and Selected* Poetry," released I this year. He will give a public reading of his poetry Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. in the College of Business Spainish I * To Fill Co When junior Spanish major I Kathy O'Quinn of Florence I couldn't find a library book with the needed information for her I Contemporary University Independent Study project, she * decided to write her own. Now the book has been accepted for publication. After searching for a bibliography of female Spanish authors to prepare a survey, O'Quinn realized there was none. She checked with the Women's History Library. in Berkeley, Calif., where they said no such work had been attempted. She * then b)egan to compile her own bhiira:hi shea couald sest upna EL HAME et,WViritii dministration building and od( uditorium. French Still, Hamburger would advise prison, fy aspiring creative writer, half program i-jest, half seriously, "not to do hoped t mates t "Don't write because you expect when re make a living. Do it because you A teai must and don't expect rewards," Universi e said. "Writing is a com- years i ulsion...a lonely occupation." where t After release from the Army, ducive I lamburger returned to studies at had a st xford, majoring in French and Event erman. The years that followed a full-til ,ere filled with two careers- desire f, riting poetry and whatever would Iranslat ing in money to support him and back to s family. write fo "This For four years he lived as a free- Englant nce writer, doing articles on cudg utry, book reviews, broadcasts coul g dajor Writes liege Library roposal and survey for her CU 80-year roject. attendir Ultimately she gathered 1,600 76 year ames of female Spanish writers include< rom 19 Spanish-American in one I ~ountries with various She iographical information about questioi ach one in addition to titles of views t :eir works. project The work, accepted for sociohi ~ublication by the Espina del Norte Mexica: ublications of San Francisco, "All c alif., will be out in the spring USC shi ~nder the title "A Bibliography of "The C panish-Americanl Authors." project O'Quinn encountered a cross- bibliogi ~ctioni of Mexican women from an lead to ll tem&.le rock group, ages 12-21, Monter ho entertnained in local clubs to an suadent IURGER ag Is 'ML i f t I jobs. One, teaching Another job to convicts in a London for a Britisl he termed a "hopeless An invital ." Prison authorities America to his would encourage in- many door! o immigrate to Canada was invited leased. for a seme: thing position at London College and ty was followed by nine from a mc it Reading University, State Univ( he country life was con- Buffalo an( :o work, and Hamburger Center for udy where he could write. Wesleyan ually the strain of carrying University ne teaching load and the University )r more time to write and Diego. e poetry led Hamburger "Such op1 London to try again to do not exi: r a f.ull-time career. Hamburger is simply not possible in visiting pre I," he said. "ESven if a poet adjust his ci ve a reading a week, the for creativ uld not keep him up. teaching on Book Needs old woman who had been ig bullfights in the area for s. One group surveyed 1 15 people who all resided iome. asked the women 32 is ranging from polictcal ideas on abortion. The is an attempt to outline the storical aspect of the KATI ri feminist movement. f these programs offered at ..o uld be utilized," she said. ontemporary University and learn enabled me to prepare the temporary -aphy which eventually will independe a published work. The language ey Tec program gives the have comi an opportunity to travel help of the Hamk ac asph wrr seri do i be mu exp Ip 'gsGc or career is essential in the i poet." Foreig :ion in 1965 to come to and o give readings opened Literat for Hamburger. He "Nor as a visiting professor place, ;ter at Mount Holyoke justing since then, has spent that I nth to a semester at Columi sity of New York in really I Stony Brook, at the he saic the Humanities of "Cer University, the becom4 of Connecticut and the sought of California in San and tr - create prtunities for a writer Englau1 tin England," said has esi explaining that a some a fessor in America can He wor .rse load to allow time neglect ty. At USC, he is he said egraduate-level course Ha m promol publish~ off pc Althoui and ir Hambt succes: Oth< Haml books of Ger the vi Holde1 definil A b V O'QI'INN Germ this kpublished. "Cont origin Although the Con- called University project is forem t of the foreign man < rogram, I could not best < leted one without the literal urger would vise any -ing creative ter, half in ,st, half >usly, not to . Don't write cause you st, and don't ect rewards. ime' German Division of the n Language Department ne in the Comparative ure Department. mally when I come to a new I am so absorbed in ad to the new environment get little writing done. )ia has been different. I've gotten quite a bit written," 1. tain American writers 'personalities.' They are after and courted by society e press. Other writers and live in obscurity. In d, almost any writer who ablished himself will have mall dedicated following. ild not suffer the degree of that he would in America," burger explained that ion is important in selling ~eative work and blamed ers for traditionally writing etry books as losses. ,h recognized in England ternationally as a poet, rger considers his books ful if each sells 2,000 copies. er work published by urger include numerous of translations, principally man poets. His versions of sionary and religious poet, lin, are recognized as the ive translation. lingual anthology of "East mn Poetry" was published ear. The reviewer for raries," his first book of al essays, re-issued in 1970, Hamburger, "one of the ost commentators on Ger !ulture" and the book, "the assays to date on German ure before and after Nietz