John Ashbery: 2003

John Ashbery reads from Chinese Whispers (2002), his twenty-fourth book of poems. Along the way, he discusses the poems' references to Erik Satie, Marcel Duchamp, Arthur Rimbaud, and other titans of French music, art, and literature. The reading, from the 2003 Key West Literary Seminar: The Beautiful Changes, includes the poems "Nice Presentation," "Disagreeable Glimpses," "Theme Park Days," "Why Not Sneeze," "View of Delft," "The Lightning Conductor," "I Asked Mr. Dithers whether it was time yet, He said No, to Wait," "Local Legend," "Runway," and "The Business of Falling Asleep, 2." (25:03)

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This recording is being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights to this recorded material belong to the author. © 2008 John Ashbery.