Quotes and anectdotes from the wise to the foolish, and the courageous to the drunk

Howard Nemerov Novelist

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: United States
  • Born: Feb 29, 1920
  • Died: Jul 5, 1991

Howard Nemerov was an American poet. He was twice Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1988 to 1990. For The Collected Poems of Howard Nemerov, he won the National Book Award for Poetry, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and Bollingen Prize.

Nemerov was brother to photographer Diane Nemerov Arbus and father to art historian Alexander Nemerov, Professor of the History of Art and American Studies at Stanford University.

A lot happens by accident in poetry. poetry

I do insist on making what I hope is sense so there's always a coherent narrative or argument that the reader can follow. hope

The secrets of success are a good wife and a steady job. My wife told me. success

I would talk in iambic pentameter if it were easier. funny

I sometimes talk about the making of a poem within the poem. poetry

A teacher is a person who never says anything once. teacher

Nothing in the universe can travel at the speed of light, they say, forgetful of the shadow's speed. science & travel

A chronicle is very different from history proper. history

I've never read a political poem that's accomplished anything. Poetry makes things happen, but rarely what the poet wants. poetry