Who Is Witter Bynner?: A Biography

Rating:
Summary: Who is Witter Bynner?
Review: Here are some answers I gleaned from this book:
1. A minor poet who enjoyed some popularity earlier in this century.
2. A translator who, without expert mastery of languages, managed to convey admirably the spirit of the original text.
3. Homosexual in an era when (even in a hang-loose town like Santa Fe) he had to be discreet and even secretive about it.
4. A devoted partner.
5. A loving son.
6. A pillar of the literary and artistic community.
7. A dear and cherished friend to many.
This is a well-researched and well-written biography of someone who I think was far more interesting as a man than a poet -- although there are those who swear that his translation of Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching" is the best one ever -- and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. Kraft delineates not only Bynner's life but the various environments in which he lived and worked, so it's an interesting social history as well as a biography. A small caution: the selections from Bynner's poetry that Kraft quotes are probably the best of the lot. If you read this biography and the anthology "The Best of Witter Bynner" (edited by Kraft), you've seen all the good stuff; don't knock yourself out trying to find copies of the rest. (I did -- although fortunately that's not hard in this town! -- and it really wasn't worth the effort.)

Rating:
Summary: An unknown force
Review: Perhaps, as the previous reviewer stated, Witter Bynner was a minor poet. But, when one realizes all of the people with whom he came in contact and influenced in one way or another (as an editor at Macleans he was the first to publish Ezra Pound for example) one soon realizes he was one of the 'powers behind the throne' of American 20th Century poetry. The story of Robert Frost's encounters with Bynner alone make one realize Bynner's impact. Just knowing that Robert Frost had memorized Bynner's poems makes one realize the influence he must have had.

And how could we forget "Spectra"?

A must read for any student of 20th century American Literature.