Walton Litz discusses his biography of American-born poet Ezra Pound, noting his status as a transitional figure between nineteenth- and twentieth-century poetry and his friendship with Irish poet W. B. Yeats. Other topics include Pound’s efforts to revive and modernize English-language poetry, his translations, gender equality in the era, and his letters. Litz reads from Pound’s “Pisan Cantos,” which describe a pre–World War I visit to poet Wilfrid Scawen Blunt.
At the time of this interview, Litz was professor of English at Princeton University; he is the author of several books and articles on modern American and European literature, and editor of the letters of Ezra Pound.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
