TLS February 22 2008

from Fergus Allen's review "The muscular beauty of girders" of Richard L. Cleary's Bridges:
The trouble with truss bridges--with all their girders and criss-crossing stays and struts--is that they have never been at ease with conventional ideas of the beautiful. They cannot be seen as aspiring. They may exhibit their workings to the world, but the world seldom wishes to know. Unfair really. Many sturdy girder bridges that carry, say, a railways over a river have the appeal of a well-developed scaffolder, whose bared and suntanned torso reveals the muscles that enable him to do his job.

Comments

Eric Norris said…
Hmm...

These bridges you mention. They sound an awful lot like poems to me. The builders, like poets.

I will not mention any names, but I can think of a number of people who are grateful for what they do--these bridges, and these poets.

Very grateful indeed.
3:08 PM
Jee Leong said…
Fergus Allen's latest book of poetry is "Gas Light & Coke." I wonder if it gives any more muscular images.
9:42 PM
Eric Norris said…
I am not familiar with Fergus Allen's work. But I will check him out. I love muscular images...

Thanks!
11:22 AM
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