May 1980 Cover Image

Paul Zimmer: An Interview

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AWP Editor
Paul Zimmer, poet and Director of the University of Georgia Press since 19 78, began his publishing career as an order-filler for a book wholesaler on the west coast. In 1967, after several years as manager of bookstores in Sun Francisco and Los Angeles, he became the Associate Director of the University of Pittsburgh Press.
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Max Martí­nez: Critical Discourse and Chicano Literature

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John Biguenet
Filling in at the last minute for Tomas Rivera, Max Martinez began his talk by questioning whether existing critical discourse will permit Chicano literature to be revealed in any meaningful way. His rejection of "the general assumptions one ordinarily makes about literature and about literary criticism" was based on his belief that criticism is derived from tradition and that Chicano literature is outside those traditions that inform contemporary critical discourse.
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Science and the Artist's Vision

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Fred Chappell
What are the farther dreams of science? I don't mean, What are the dreams of individual scientists? I have met scientific gentlemen in sufficient number to know that their personal dreams are rather predictable. They dream of seeing their names favorably in the newspapers. This is another trait they share in common with poets.
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Arturo Vivante: On Fiction

Lisa Zeidner
In his remarks on writing fiction, Arturo Vivante spoke about the similarities between fiction and life. Fiction, he said, is never an imitation of life - "an imitation is literal and mechanical" - but rather an impression of life. "Just as a life is ever in danger of failing, so is a story: both have a vulnerable quality, and the more alive a story, the more mortal it is. One discordant note can ruin the magic of the story.
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