ROBERT
KELLY

About

P U B L I C A T I O N S

Books of Poetry

  • Armed Descent, New York: Hawk’s Well Press, 1961.
  • Her Body Against Time, Mexico City: Ediciones El Corno Emplumado, 1963.
  • Round Dances, New York: Trobar Press, 1964.
  • Enstasy, Annandale: Matter, 1964.
  • Lunes/Sightings, with Jerome Rothenberg, New York: Hawk’s Well Press, 1964.
  • Words in Service, New Haven: Robert Lamberton, 1966.
  • Weeks, Mexico City: Ediciones El Corno Emplumado, 1966.
  • Song XXIV, Cambridge: Pym-Randall Press, 1966.
  • Devotions, Annandale: Salitter, 1967.
  • Twenty Poems, Annandale: Matter Books, 1967.
  • Axon Dendron Tree, Annandale: Salitter, 1967.
  • Crooked Bridge Love Society, Annandale: Salitter, 1967.
  • A Joining: A Sequence for H:D:, Los Angeles:Black Sparrow Press, 1967.
  • Alpha, Gambier, Ohio: The Pot Hanger Press, 1967.
  • Finding the Measure, Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1968.
  • Sonnets, Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1968.
  • Songs I-XXX, Cambridge: Pym-Randall Press, 1968.
  • The Common Shore, (Books 1 – 5) Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1969.
  • A California Journal, London: Big Venus Books, 1969.
  • Kali Yuga, London: Jonathan Cape, 1970. A Cape Goliard Book.
  • Flesh Dream Book, Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1971.
  • In Time, West Newbury: Frontier Press,1971
  • Cities. West Newbury: Frontier Press, 1972.
  • Ralegh, Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1972.
  • The Pastorals, Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1972.
  • Reading Her Notes, Uniondale: privately printed at the Salisbury Press, 1972.
  • The Tears of Edmund Burke, Annandale, privately printed, 1973.
  • The Mill of Particulars, Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1973.
  • The Loom, Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1975.
  • Sixteen Odes, Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1976.
  • The Lady Of, Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1977.
  • The Convections, Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1977.
  • The Book of Persephone, New Paltz: Treacle Press, 1978.
  • Kill the Messenger, Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1979.
  • The Cruise of the Pnyx, Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 1979.
  • Sentence, Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 1980.
  • Spiritual Exercises, Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1981.
  • The Alchemist to Mercury: an alternate opus, Uncollected Poems 1960–1980, edited by Jed Rasula, Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1981.
  • Mulberry Women, with drypoints by Matt Phillips, Berkeley: Hiersoux, Powers, Thomas,1982.
  • Under Words, Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1983.
  • Thor’s Thrush, Oakland: The Coincidence Press, 1984.
  • Not this Island Music, Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press, 1987.
  • The Flowers of Unceasing Coincidence, Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 1988.
  • Oahu, Rhinebeck: St Lazaire Press, 1988.
  • Ariadne, Rhinebeck: St Lazaire Press, 1991.
  • Manifesto for the Next New York School, Buffalo: Leave Press, 1991.
  • A Strange Market, (Poems 1985-1988), Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press, 1992.
  • Mont Blanc, a long poem inscribed within Shelleys, Ann Arbor, Otherwind Press, 1994.
  • Red Actions: Selected Poems 1960-1993, Santa Rosa, Black Sparrow Press,1995.
  • The Time of Voice, Poems 1994-1996. Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press. 1998. 
  • Runes, Ann Arbor, Otherwind Press, 1999.
  • The Garden of Distances, with Brigitte Mahlknecht, Vienna / Lana, Editions Procura, 1999.
  • Unquell the Dawn Now : a collaboration with Friedrich Holderlin Schuldt, McPherson, 1999.
  • Lapis. Black Sparrow Press. 2005. 
  • Shame = Scham : a collaboration with Birgit Kempker, McPherson, 2005.
  • Samphire, Backwoods Broadsides Chaplet Series Nº 97, 2006.
  • Threads, First Intensity Press, 2006.
  • May Day, Parsifal Editions, 2006.
  • SAINTE–TERRE or The White Stone, Woodstock: Shivastan Publishing, 2006.
  • Fire Exit, Boston: Black Widow Press, 2009.
  • Uncertainties, Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 2011.
  • Winter Music, with Susan Quasha, Barrytown: ‘T’Space with Station Hill Press, 2014.
  • The Color Mill, with Nathlie Provosty, New York: Spuyten Duyvil, 2014.
  • The Language of Eden, Metambesen, 2014.
  • Answer the Light, with Sherry Williams, Metambesen, 2014.
  • Claws, with Barbara Leon, Metambesen, 2014.
  • A Break in the Weather, Metambesen, 2014.
  • Seven Fairy Tales, Metambesen, 2015
  • Steps, Metambesen, 2015
  • I Tarocchi Nuovi, Metambesen, 2015
  • An Advent Calendar, Hudson: The Doris/Books, 2015
  • Opening the Seals, New York: Autonomedia, 2016 
  • Heart Thread, Hudson: Lunar Chandelier Collective, 2016 
  • Certainties (The Maxims of Martin Traubenritter), Metambesen, 2016
  • The Hexagon, Boston: Black Widow Press, 2016 
  • The Secret Name of Now, New York Rio de Janeiro Paris: Dr. Cicero, 2016 
  • Concealed in Brightness, with Charlotte Mandell, Metambesen, 2018
  • The Caprices, Hudson: Lunar Chandelier Collective, 2018 
  • Calls, Hudson: Lunar Chandelier Collective, 2018 
  • The Cloudherding Book, with Charlotte Mandell, Metambesen, 2019
  • Ten New Fairy Tales, Illustrated by Emma Polyakov, Kingston: McPherson & Co., 2019 
  • Seaspel, Hudson: Lunar Chandelier Collective, 2019 
  • Reasons to Resist, Hudson: Lunar Chandelier Collective, 2020 
  • The Reader, Metambesen, 2020
  • The Questing, Metambesen, 2020
  • Doors / Türen, Selected and Translated into German by Urs Engeler, Metambesen, 2020
  • Leaflight, with Charlotte Mandell, Metambesen, 2020
  • Shadow Talk: 25 New Fairy Tales, McPherson & Co., 2021
  • The Cup: A Pilgrimage, McPherson & Co., 2021
  • Earish: Thirty Poems of Paul Celan, Beautiful Outlaw Press, 2022-2023
  • The Collected Stories, McPherson & Co., 2023
  • Linden Word, Black Square Editions, 2023

 

Books of Fiction

* THE SCORPIONS. New York: Doubleday, 1967, London: Calder and Boyars, 1968. (2nd Ed., with a new afterword, Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 1986)

* CITIES. West Newbury, Massachusetts: Frontier Press, 1972.

* A LINE OF SIGHT. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1974.

* WHERES. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1978.

* THE CRUISE OF THE PNYX. Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 1979.

* “Russian Tales” in LIKELY STORIES, ed. Bruce McPherson. New Paltz, Treacle Press, 1981.

* A TRANSPARENT TREE. Kingston: McPherson & Co., 1985.

* DOCTOR OF SILENCE. Kingston: McPherson & Co., 1988.

* CAT SCRATCH FEVER. Kingston: McPherson & Co., 1990.

* QUEEN OF TERRORS. Kingston: McPherson & Co., 1994.

* SHAME/SCHAM. With Birgit Kempker. Kingston: McPherson & Co., 2005.

* THE BOOK FROM THE SKY. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2008.

* THE LOGIC OF THE WORLD and other fictions. McPherson & Co., 2010.

*THE WORK OF THE HEART. New York: Dr. Cicero, 2020.

Other Books

* IN TIME. West Newbury, Massachusetts: Frontier Press, 1972. [Essays and manifestoes]

* A CONTROVERSY OF POETS (with Paris Leary). New York: Doubleday Anchor, 1965.

* ABZIEHBILDER, HEIMGEHOLT (with Jacques Roubaud and Schuldt). Graz and Vienna, Droschl, 1995

* ATLANTIS MANIFESTO (with Peter Lamborn Wilson). Kathmandu, Shivastan. 2009.

* OEDIPUS AFTER COLONUS and other plays. Dr. Cicero Books, 2013.

* A VOICE FULL OF CITIES: THE COLLECTED ESSAYS OF ROBERT KELLY, edited by Pierre Joris and Peter Cockelbergh. Contra Mundum, 2014.

* CERTAINTIES: THE MAXIMS OF MARTIN TRAUBENRITTER (by RK). Metambesen Books, 2016.

Magazine Affiliations

* CHELSEA REVIEW (now CHELSEA), co-founder, ed. 1957-1960.

* TROBAR (with George Economou), co-editor 1960-1965.

* MATTER. Editor, 1963- .

* CATERPILLAR, contributing editor 1968-1972.

* LOS. guest editor, New Series No. 1, 1975.

* ALCHERINGA:ETHNOPOETICS. contributing editor, 1977-1980.

* SULFUR. contributing editor 1980-1981.

* CONJUNCTIONS, contributing editor 1990 .

* POETRY INTERNATIONAL, contributing editor 1996 .

* FULCRUM, advisory editor 2002.

T E A C H I N G

Current Teaching Activities

* At Bard College since 1961; Asher B. Edelman Professor of Literature, Bard College (1986 – )

* The Writing Program, Division of Languages and Literature, Bard College.

* Founding Member of The Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Bard College, member of the Graduate Committee, and director of the Writing Program (1980-1993)

Earlier Teaching Activities

* Wagner College, 1960-61.

* State University of New York at Buffalo, 1964.

* Tufts University. Visiting Professor of Modern Poetry, 1966-67.

* California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Poet in Residence. 1971-72. (The first occupant of this position.)

Poet-in-Residence at:

* Yale University (Calhoun College)

* Kansas University

* CalTech

* Dickinson College

* University of Southern California,

* California Institute of the Arts

*  Readings and lectures at many American and Canadian universities.

Useful Bio-bibliographical data may be found in:

* WORLD AUTHORS (1990 edition) H.W. Wilson Co.

* CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS, Detroit.

* DICTIONARY OF LITERARY BIOGRAPHY (Gale Research) Vol.130

* CONTEMPORARY POETS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, London.

* WHO’S WHO IN AMERICA.

* Lepper, BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SEVENTY FIVE POST-WAR AMERICAN POETS.

* PENGUIN COMPANION TO AMERICAN LITERATURE.

* VORT Number 5 (Robert Kelly Issue), Bloomington, 1974.

* Critical discussion by Patrick Meanor in POSTWAR AMERICAN POETRY: One Hundred American Poets, ed. Joseph Conte, Gale Research, 1996.

* Richard L. Blevins, article on RK in AMERICAN SHORT STORY WRITERS SINCE WORLD WAR II, Gale Research, Detroit, 1993.

* Autobiographical Essay in CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS: Autobiography Series, Volume 19, Gale Research, Detroit, 1994.

* Edward Schelb, The Early Poetry of Robert Kelly. Forthcoming, 2001.

Published Bibliography

Jed Rasula, “Robert Kelly: A Checklist.” Credences: a Journal of Twentieth Century Poetry and Poetics, New Series, Volume 3, Number 1, State University of New York at Buffalo. (The same issue contains a study of the work and guide to it by Rasula: “Ten Different Fruits on One Different Tree: Reading Robert Kelly,” 127-175.) The checklist runs 35 pages, and lists poems, stories, essays and reviews published through the early 1980s. A supplement is being prepared covering essays, poems and stories published through 1988.

Translations into other languages

* Poems and stories have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German and Serbian.

* Su cuerpo contra el tiempo, Mexico City, Ediciones El Corno Emplumado, 1963. Translated by Margaret Randall and Sergio Mondragon.

* A collection of short stories has been announced by Christian Bourgois in Paris.

* Il Maestro di Silenzio,translated by Anna Pensante, Milan, Editore Tranchida, 1993.

* Translations of other fiction forthcoming in Italian and German. Work appears in anthologies of modern American poetry that have been published in Mexico, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil and Germany.

* Il albero trasparente, translated by Anna Pensante, Milan, Editore Tranchida, 1994.

* Geschichten aus Russisch, translated by Schuldt, Berlin, Edition Plasma, 1995.

* Schlaflose Schnheit, translated by Schuldt, Salzburg, Residenz Verlag, 1996.

Anthologies

Some representative anthologies include:

AMERICAN POETRY SINCE 1950 (Eliot Weinberger). THE NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF POSTMODERN AMERICAN POETRY (Paul Hoover), FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CENTURY (Douglas Messerli), THE VOICE THAT IS GREAT WITHIN US (Hayden Carruth), A CATERPILLAR ANTHOLOGY (Clayton Eshleman), OPEN POETRY (Gross), AMERICA:A PROPHECY (Rothenberg and Quasha), ACTIVE ANTHOLOGY (Quasha), THE POSTMODERNS (Allen and Butterick), PRIMARY TROUBLE (Donahue, Foster, Schwartz), BENEATH A SINGLE MOON: Buddhism in American Poetry (Johnson and Paulenich), SUDDEN FICTION (Shapard and Thomas), AMERIKANISCHE POETOLOGIE (Helmut Breinig), PRAYERS AT 3 A.M. (Phil Cousineau). POETRY OF THE MILLENNIUM (Rothenberg & Joris).

H O N O R S

* Doctor of Letters, State University of New York, Oneonta, 1994.

* Award for Distinction from the National Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, 1986.

* National Endowment for the Arts, Fellowship 1976.

* CAPS Fellow, 1978.

* Los Angeles Times Award 1980, for the Best Book of Poetry of the Year. Represented the United States at the International Poetry Festival 1987, Luxemburg.

* Judge on the Poetry Panel for the New York Foundation of the Arts, 1988.

* Judge for Fiction, General Electric Awards, Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines, 1988.

* National Endowment for the Arts, Panelist for Small Press Publication, 1990-91.

* “Hercules Musarum” chosen for The Best American Poetry 1988, edited by John Ashbery, New York, Collier Books, 1988.

* “Flowers for the New Year” chosen for The Best American Poetry 1991, edited by Mark Strand. New York, Collier Books, 1991.

* “Mapping” chosen for The Best American Poetry 1993 , edited by Louise Gluck. New York, 1993.