“A defining mark of poetry is that it defies definition.”
Dennis O'Driscoll (1954–2012) Irish poet, critic
Introduction - ' The Bloodaxe Book of Poetry Quotations' ed. Dennis O'Driscoll 2006
Other Quotes
“Defy the law! Write the heartbroken poetry of the World!”
This appears not to be a Kerouac quote. It has not been found in any of Kerouac's published work.
Misattributed
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Jack Kerouac266
American writer 1922–1969Related quotes
Banksy pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, and painter
Existencilism (2002)
Source: Wall and Piece
movie Dead Poets Society
1989
“He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realize”
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish writer and poet
“When a thing defies physical law, there's usually politics involved.”
P. J. O'Rourke (1947) American journalist
All the Trouble in the World (1994)
Jane Roberts (1929–1984) American Writer
Source: Dialogues of the Soul and Mortal Self in Time (1975), p. v
“Real poetry, is to lead a beautiful life. To live poetry is better than to write it.”
Bashō Matsuo (1644–1694) Japanese poet
“Writing poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric.”
Theodor W. Adorno (1903–1969) German sociologist, philosopher and musicologist known for his critical theory of society
[N]ach Auschwitz ein Gedicht zu schreiben, ist barbarisch...
Full quote: Kulturkritik findet sich der letzten Stufe der Dialektik von Kultur und Barbarei gegenüber: nach Auschwitz ein Gedicht zu schreiben, ist barbarisch, und das frißt auch die Erkenntnis an, die ausspricht, warum es unmöglich ward, heute Gedichte zu schreiben.
Kulturkritik und Gesellschaft [Cultural Criticism and Society] (1951); this quote is more famously known in the forms "No poetry after Auschwitz" or "There can be no poetry after Auschwitz." Sometimes a more specific proscription is made, such as "No lyric poetry after Auschwitz." The influence of the underlying idea can be seen in such derivative statements as "No history after Auschwitz."
John Updike (1932–2009) American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic
Hugging the Shore, foreword (1983)