One Art

BY PROF. VAROL AKMAN

Dana Gioia (b. 1950)

In my last column before the winter recess, I had a mini-interview with one of the leading American belletrists, Dana Gioia, who was praised by British critic William Oxley as "probably the most exquisite poet writing today in English." Gioia is currently the Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at the University of Southern California. Named after the founder of USC, this title is reserved for distinguished persons from the arts, sciences, professions, business and community leadership. As the nonpartisan and passionate chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) from 2003 to 2009, Gioia was held in high esteem by members of the United States Congress (Republicans and Democrats alike). Business Week magazine referred to him as "The Man Who Saved the NEA." His visionary leadership at NEA also strengthened the public consensus to boost funding for the arts and arts education.

Gioia was born in Los Angeles on December 24, 1950, the oldest son of a blue-collar family. He was the first member of his family to receive a college education. He graduated from Stanford University in 1975 and then went to Harvard for an MA in Comparative Literature. There, he studied with Elizabeth Bishop (see my earlier column for his recollections of this great poet). Determined to practice writing outside academic circles, he then returned to his alma mater to earn an MBA.

In 1977 Gioia moved to New York and spent the next fifteen years working at General Foods while writing in his spare time. He eventually became a vice-president before leaving the corporate world in 1992 to devote his energies to full-time writing. At the center of Gioia's critical decision was the loss of his baby son to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

During his years in business, Gioia had become a leading poet and critic whose work appeared in such periodicals as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Nation, Poetry and The New York Times Book Review. While Gioia tried to keep his writing secret from his coworkers, his growing status made this unfeasible. In 1984 Esquire listed him among "Men and Women Under Forty Who Are Changing America." He then became identified as the "Businessman-Poet," getting coverage in Forbes, Fortune, The New York Times and Newsweek.

Following his departure from General Foods, Gioia took on an assortment of literary work; he reviewed books, edited anthologies and gave readings and lectures. He also became a commentator on American culture for BBC Radio, and taught individual courses at such colleges as Johns Hopkins, Sarah Lawrence and Wesleyan.

Gioia's first book of poems, "Daily Horoscope" (1986), was both praised and criticized for its revitalization of rhyme and meter. It was extensively discussed in literary journals. Popular publications as varied as The Village Voice, Newsweek and Forbes also took notice. "The Gods of Winter" was published concurrently in the US and Great Britain in 1991. This second collection was chosen by London's Poetry Society Book Club as their main selection. His third book of poems, "Interrogations at Noon" (2001), won the American Book Award. Like his celebrated teacher, Bishop, Gioia is a self-critical poet who publishes sparingly. This year he plans to put out a new book of poems, entitled "Pity the Beautiful." (See my earlier column for the title poem.)

In 1991, The Atlantic published Gioia's landmark essay "Can Poetry Matter?", which started a fiery debate on the role of poetry in modern intellectual life. Articles discussing the essay appeared in journals ranging from The Times Literary Supplement to USA Today; there were also programs aired on the BBC and National Public Radio. The ensuing volume, "Can Poetry Matter?: Essays on Poetry and American Culture," was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of 1992. Gioia is the recipient of ten honorary degrees.

Gioia had initially hoped to become a composer before deciding to pursue poetry. His poetry has been set to music in just about every style from classical and jazz to rock and country. The classical composers with whom he has worked include Ned Rorem, Lori Laitman, Paul Salerni, Alva Henderson, David Conte, Tom Cipullo, Stefania de Kenessey and John Harbison. Among his jazz collaborators have been Dave Brubeck, Paquito D'Rivera and Helen Sung.

Gioia's most noteworthy musical collaborations have been in opera. He wrote the libretto for "Nosferatu" with composer Alva Henderson, which was published in 2001. ("Nosferatu" was premiered in 2004.) His second opera, "Tony Caruso's Final Broadcast," with composer Paul Salerni, was premiered in 2008.

I have selected a tiny but arresting piece from Gioia. Appearing in "Interrogations at Noon," this poem has recently been translated into Spanish. Here's a piece of trivia about "Unsaid," disclosed by the poet himself: "I should tell you that  it  began as a much longer poem and only gradually shrank down to its current six-line form with its hidden rhyme."

I am grateful to Professor Gioia for making a private biography available; much of the column is shamelessly based on this source. With his kind permission, I would like to dedicate this week's poem to the memory of Prof. Ümit Berkman (1946-2011), a great Bilkenter and a longtime member of the editorial board of Bilkent News.

NOTES

  • The document (an interview with Gioia) in which the Spanish translation appears - along with Gioia's comments - is freely available via the Bilkent Library: just type "Dana Gioia" in the search window of the main page of our library and open the first link that is returned.
  • Gioia has a comprehensive homepage at http://www.danagioia.net, with full access to many online poems and essays (including "Can Poetry Matter?").

 
Unsaid
So much of what we live goes on inside -
The diaries of grief, the tongue-tied aches
Of unacknowledged love are no less real
For having passed unsaid. What we conceal
Is always more than what we dare confide.
Think of the letters that we write our dead.