6 Quotes & Sayings By Charles Olson

Charles Olson was born in Wellfleet, Massachusetts in 1897. His early years were spent in the Atlantic coastal region of New England which proved to be a fertile ground for artistic expression. He attended Harvard University where he studied under John Peale Bishop, Edward Thomas Dewey, and the famous art critic Waldo Frank. During this time he also became involved with the "Dada" movement and the Objectivist movement Read more

He received his B.A. degree in 1921 and his M.A. degree in 1922 from Harvard University where he studied under Frank Lloyd Wright, who was then teaching at Taliesin.

After graduation, Olson spent two years teaching at Harvard where he also did some painting and lectured on the subject of art criticism. In 1923, he went to Europe where he traveled extensively throughout France and Italy before returning to America in 1925. In 1926, he again settled in Europe where he worked for a year as an instructor at the American School in Rome before traveling extensively throughout Italy and Greece for several months before returning once more to America in 1927.

He went back to Europe in 1930 and settled permanently there in 1932. Beginning in 1930, Olson wrote a series of four essays titled "Projective Verse," which appeared in the little magazine Transition (which later became a part of Amerika). These essays were later collected in a book titled The Maximus Poems which was published by Myron Angel Press of Los Angeles in 1931.

In 1931, Olson published a second book called The Maximus Poems: A Sequence of Epigrams Which Have No Title which was also published by Myron Angel Press of Los Angeles. In 1932, Helen Lundeberg published one of Olson's poems under the title "To Him Who Would Be Alone." This work is considered one of Olson's masterpieces and is included in most anthologies on his work today. One year later, Kenyon Review published an editorial written by Olson titled "The Emerging Church," which started a controversy that would last for over twenty-five years between Olson and the editors of that publication about their disagreement on whether or not art should be used to influence human behavior toward love or hate (Olson believed that art should inspire love while the editors believed that it should inspire hate).

1
A poem is a ‘line’ between any two points in creation. Charles Olson
2
As it is there isn't a single thing isn't an opportunity for some 'alert' person, including practically everybody by the 'greed', that, they are 'alive', therefore. Etc. That, in fact, there are 'conditions'. Gravelly Hill or any sort of situation for improvement, when the Earth was properly regarded as a 'garden tenement messuage orchard and if this is nostalgia let you take a breath of April showers let's us reason how is the dampness in your nasal passage -- but I have had lunch in this 'pasture' (B. Ellery to George Girdler Smith 'gentleman' 1799, for £150)overlooking 'the town' sitting there like the Memphite lord of all Creationwith my back -- with Dogtownover the Crown of gravelly hill It is not bad to be pissed off . Charles Olson
3
If he stays inside himself, if he is contained within his nature as he is participant in the larger force, he will be able to listen, and his hearing through himself will give him secrets objects share. Charles Olson
4
O.K. I'm running out of appetite. Let this swirl– a bit like Crab Nebula– do for now. Charles Olson
5
You don't help people in your poems. I've been trying to help people all my life - that's my trouble. Charles Olson