“As poets we do not ask permission before we begin to practise, for there is no authority to license us. We do not inquire whether it is still possible to pen a drama, for the answer to that question is ours alone to give. It is our drama, spoken or sung, that asserts our right to the title of poet. It is our decision that counts, and not the opinion of some theatre management, or the ponderings of the critic, or even the advice of our friendliest mentors.”

—  James Fenton

Source: An Introduction to English Poetry (2002), Ch. 22: Poetic Drama and Opera (p. 125)

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James Fenton17
poet 1949

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