Gifts of the Poets: Eugene B. Redmond and Coleman Barks (part 1)
Cover of new biography Visible Man: The Life of Henry Dumas by Jeffrey B. Leak
Among the greatest gifts that poets bestow upon each other’s lives are those of identity and validation. It is often through the mirror of words, meaning, and soul created by one poet that another begins to recognize the true significance of his or her nature. It is also, sometimes, by virtue of the labors of one poet that the stylized reverberations of another is amplified and
takes its rightful place within the larger chorus of such voices.
takes its rightful place within the larger chorus of such voices.
When considering the last scenario, the following are but two notable examples: the first is that of author, editor, and photographer Eugene Redmond, whose efforts to preserve the literary legacy of poet and fiction writer Henry Dumas made it possible for many to enjoy Dumas’ formidable works after he was shot to death in 1968. The second is Coleman Barks, the well-known educator and author whose translated interpretations of the life and work of
Jalalludin Rumi have placed Rumi’s name among the most famous either living or dead.
Jalalludin Rumi have placed Rumi’s name among the most famous either living or dead.
Eugene B. Redmond
Redmond has authored some seven volumes of poetry, most of which were published from 1969 to 1974 during the Black Arts Movement. He has edited many more and in 1976 was named Poet Laureate of East St. Louis, Illinois. His numerous awards and distinctions
include a Pushcart Prize, a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant, an American Book Award in 1993 for The Eye in the Ceiling: Selected Poems, and the St. Louis American Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
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