Octavio Paz: A Study of His Poetics

Octavio Paz (1914-1998), the eminent Mexican poet and critic, attempted to evaluate the neglected role of poetry in the twentieth century in terms of a liberating, semi-religious vocation. Jason Wilson, in this study, approaches Paz's poetics through his close relationship with André Breton (1896-1966), the surrealist leader. This is a 'spiritual biography' of a poet-thinker (Paz); a study of a fertile relationship (Paz and Breton); a re-evaluation of surrealism itself and, finally, a coping with those acute problems that all poets and readers of poetry must face in an age lacking an acceptable cultural tradition: why write? What is a poem? Who are the genuine poets? Who am I? Wilson analyses Paz's reaction to these related concerns in the poet's examination of 'the values of poetry' in terms of a liberating poetics.

• | Author: Jason Wilson
• | Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• | Publication Date: Jun 21, 1979
• | Number of Pages: 204 pages
• | Binding: Paperback or Softback
• | ISBN-10: 0521295092
• | ISBN-13: 9780521295093