Larry Eigner & The Maximus Poems

As I mentioned in a previous post, among Eigner's research materials I found his annotated copy of the first installment of Jargon Press's The Maximus Poems. Of Eigner's most precious possessions were only three publications that did not include his own work: E.E. Cummings's Complete Poems, which Richard Eigner kept as it had belonged to their mother, an issue of the Paris Review with a late interview with Ezra Pound, and the Olson book.

When I began the project, I was primarily focused on Eigner's relationship with Cid Corman. Corman was the first poet with whom Eigner corresponded, and a case can be made that all of Eigner's literary relationships derived from this connection. Their correspondence began after Eigner heard an episode of Corman’s radio show, “This Is Poetry,” and “took issue” with the way Corman presented Yeats. Eigner wrote him a postcard expressing such. Later, it later became apparent that Robert Creeley also had a significant influence on early Eigner's work, as well as publishing his first adult chapbook. Later in life, Eigner had long relationships with David Gitin, Robert Grenier, and Clark Coolidge to name just a few. Yet, it is clear to me that Olson was the single most important influence in his work.

In the 1950s, Eigner wrote a number of detailed letters to Corman regarding two books: The Maximus Poems and Paterson by Williams Carlos Williams. With the two side by side, and a stack of related material, Eigner carefully explored and compared the books while forming opinions of their writers.

Maximus and Paterson are both book-length "poems" based on documented material about, respectively, Gloucester, Massachusetts and Paterson, New Jersey. Gloucester was approximately ten miles from Eigner’s home in Swampscott, Massachusetts where the poet lived for the first 51 years of his life with his parents Bessie and Israel. Not only are the two towns geographically close, they share a similar cultural history. Both were fishing towns, albeit Gloucester on a much bigger scale, known as the New England fishing village and home of the "Gloucester Fisherman."

Although Swampscott had once been a resort town, in Eigner's time it was much like the working-class fishing hub of Gloucester.  In exploring Maximus so thoroughly, Eigner was looking for his own history and cultural background. The town of Paterson, on the other hand, was a complete mystery to Eigner who mostly traveled only as far as Boston, except for a brief stay as a child at summer camp in Vermont.

In short order, Eigner lost interest in Williams. With the exception of a mention of Within the American Grain, his reading relationship with Williams ended there.

On the other hand, Eigner's interest in Olson's work bordered on obsessive. He longed to study at Black Mountain College in order to "hear O's voice directly," and nagged the poet to send his "syllabus." Later, he managed to obtain John Wieners's notes on Olson's a "Special View of History." Most notably, he wrote a long essay on Olson and the film Magnificent Obsession, making the case that Olson should "run for office."

Eigner wrote to Corman that he found Olson's work to be more “natural than Pound,” who had “classical roots in form.” Olson was “in general more natural, as natural as prose.” Maximus read, “Equal to PATERSON, but chattiness [of Maximus] was more out of hand, less controlled.” This "less controlled" style was among the things that attracted him to the work.

As one can imagine, Eigner's handwriting is extremely difficult to read. He also annotated in pencil, which has since faded, making it all the more straining. What follows is some [brief] marginalia that I am still working to decipher.

Inside cover, first page:

"The Jewel, love, is not …pearl-seeking but caring, giving attention building, being alternate rather than Jejune." I am not sure if this has any relation to Maximus or just happened to be there. Jejune is an interesting word. It's second definition refers directly writing: (of ideas or writings) dry and uninteresting. "The poem seems to me rather jejune." Olson uses jejune in the poem "Jas Jargon."

In the beginning of the book, Eigner writes a capital letter "A" next to the stanzas. He only does this for a few pages. It is my guess that he was trying to develop a rhyme scheme or make reference to Louis Zukofsky's "A."

Some of the notes are clearer. In "Song 5," next to the lines "I have seen faces of want/and have not wanted the FAO: Appleseed," Eigner writes the definition of "FAO" as "United Nations Food and Agricul-ture Origini-zation." This detail is repeated in George Butterick's Guide to the Maximus Poems.

In the pages that comprise "Song and Dance of," Eigner goes as far as to critique the poem:

good analysis
Venus not (this is crossed out)
“Himylanas” not Venus as in (???)

Of course, near the end of Maximus, years later, Eigner himself makes an appearance. Olson writes, "as Larry Eigner the one day yet, so many years ago I/read in Gloucester-to half a dozen people still --/asked me/why, meaning my poetry doesn't/help anyone." That's a good place to stop, for now. Or, perhaps, begin.

Overall, the journey of research has been engaging and interesting. I have gotten help and support from too many people to name here, although I will name a few tireless supporters: George Hart, Robert Grenier, Richard Eigner, Charles Bernstein, and Andrew Rippeon. Someday, I will look up from my computer and realize, I'm done.