a real advance in american poetry

"No matter what final verdict is passed on them, these poets represent a real advance in the dull world of contemporary American poetry. The mere fact that they are interesting to read puts them almost in a class by themselves, and their commitment to modernism gives them a relation to the other important art of the century that is not very widely shared in a poetry scene that since 1945 has become more and more provincial each year."

stephen koch on The New York School of Poets, an excerpt from The New York School of Poets: The Serious at Play, an article published in The New York Times, February 11, 1968

Further reading:

A Brief Guide to the New York School (poets.org)

The Artists & Poets of the New York School (poets.org)

Rebels (The National Portrait Gallery)

Stephen Koch interviewed by Derek Alger (Pif Magazine)