Douglas Blazek
Encyclopedia
Douglas Blazek is a poet
who affected American letters during the 1960s as the publisher of the literary chapbook Ole
and proprietor of the Open Skull Press. Blazek was a major force in "underground", i.e., non-mainstream press poetry. The author and editor of 35 books and magazines who has appeared in over 1,300 periodicals since first being published in 1961, Blazek is recognized as one of the founders of the Mimeo Revolution, a literary movement that sprang up concurrently with The Beats.http://www.paperwrk.com/blazbib.html He was instrumental in bringing non-establishment poets such as Charles Bukowski
into the limelight, by publishing their work.
In 1984, Blazek publicly declared dissatisfaction with his accomplishment and vowed not to further seek book publication until he had acquired the powers that would, as he stated, "drive my work to ultimate ripeness."
As described in the introduction to James DenBoer's A Bibliography of the Published Works of Douglas Blazek: 1961-2001 (Glass Eye Books, 2003), the author then proceeded to enter a 25 year process of intense rewriting of virtually every previously published poem while continuing to write new poetry.
In 2010, Glass Eye Books agreed to publish the first of the author's 12 volumes of extensively rewritten life's work: the first collection by Blazek in nearly 25 years. A more comprehensive understanding of his process, the reason for it and its objective can be found in the introduction to his book, After Walking To and Fro and Up and Down In It.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who affected American letters during the 1960s as the publisher of the literary chapbook Ole
Ole' (magazine)
Ole' magazine was one of the first small literary magazines produced by mimeograph to reach a nation-wide audience. Published by Sacramento poet and editor Douglas Blazek, Ole was at the heart of the "Mimeo Revolution" which saw underground presses publish non-establishment poets who could not get...
and proprietor of the Open Skull Press. Blazek was a major force in "underground", i.e., non-mainstream press poetry. The author and editor of 35 books and magazines who has appeared in over 1,300 periodicals since first being published in 1961, Blazek is recognized as one of the founders of the Mimeo Revolution, a literary movement that sprang up concurrently with The Beats.http://www.paperwrk.com/blazbib.html He was instrumental in bringing non-establishment poets such as Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
into the limelight, by publishing their work.
In 1984, Blazek publicly declared dissatisfaction with his accomplishment and vowed not to further seek book publication until he had acquired the powers that would, as he stated, "drive my work to ultimate ripeness."
As described in the introduction to James DenBoer's A Bibliography of the Published Works of Douglas Blazek: 1961-2001 (Glass Eye Books, 2003), the author then proceeded to enter a 25 year process of intense rewriting of virtually every previously published poem while continuing to write new poetry.
In 2010, Glass Eye Books agreed to publish the first of the author's 12 volumes of extensively rewritten life's work: the first collection by Blazek in nearly 25 years. A more comprehensive understanding of his process, the reason for it and its objective can be found in the introduction to his book, After Walking To and Fro and Up and Down In It.
External links
- Poem: "A Political Documentary" by Douglas Blazek, Agni magazine (Boston, MA: Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, 1975)