Thomas B Kirsch

Adam Kirsch, born in 1976, is an American poet and literary critic. He has taught at Columbia University's Center for American Studies and YIVO. His early interest in poetry was sparked by T.S. Eliot, leading him to Harvard University where he studied English. Kirsch began his career at The New Republic and has since contributed freelance articles to numerous publications, including Slate, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Book Review. He is a contributing editor for Harvard Magazine and Tablet Magazine, and writes a weekly column for Nextbook. Kirsch's critical work often engages with poets like T.S. Eliot, Thomas Hardy, and H.G. Wells, and he has explored various cultural issues, from rap music to the relationship between conservative politics and Ayn Rand. He has published two collections of poetry, "The Thousand Wells" and "Invasions," as well as nonfiction books on Benjamin Disraeli and Lionel Trilling.

Kirsch's poetic output includes "The Thousand Wells," which received the The New Criterion Poetry Prize in 2002, and "Invasions." His poetry has been noted for its formal structure, with "Invasions" drawing comparisons to the work of Robert Lowell, particularly his sonnets. Critics have observed a tension between technical skill and emotional expression in his verse. Kirsch's critical work, such as "The Modern Element," focuses on contemporary poetry, often placing poets within their historical contexts and analyzing stylistic influences. He is recognized for his ability to build context and draw comparisons, though some critics have found his formalist approach limiting and his arguments narrow.

Kirsch's book "The Wounded Surgeon: Confession and Transformation in Six American Poets" garnered mixed reviews. While some praised his nuanced distinctions between poetry and biography, others found his conclusions about art's precedence over life unconvincing. David Lehman described it as having a flawed thesis, while Michiko Kakutani lauded its eloquence and astute analyses, noting Kirsch's skill in combining close readings with biographical context. Reviews of his poetry collections have also varied, with "The Thousand Wells" being praised for its wit and form by Booklist, despite critical commentary on its rhymes and imagery. "Invasions" was seen as an advancement by some, though concerns about antiquarian wording and formal strictness were raised.

In addition to his poetry criticism, Kirsch has authored nonfiction works on figures like Benjamin Disraeli and Lionel Trilling, with "Why Trilling Matters" being particularly noted for its comprehensive understanding of literary and cultural thought. His more recent works, such as the article "Is It Time To Retire the Term 'Genocide'?" and the book "On Settler Colonialism," have engaged with contemporary political and historical debates, particularly concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict. These works have sparked controversy and diverse critical responses, with "On Settler Colonialism" addressing themes of refugee status, indigeneity, and settler colonialist ideology, and receiving both praise and criticism for its moral reckoning.

“Eliot showed me the possibility of finding in poetry a source of complex intellectual and moral interest.”

“a literary critic of some distinction.”

“the intellectual offspring of the New Formalists.”

“There's both sense and power in Kirsch's arguments. He skillfully distinguishes the poems that use life as material for poetry from those that use poetry in order to justify or condemn the poet's real-life behavior. He convinces us that the former are art while the latter are exhibitions of narcissism, self-pity, and sentimentality; that a poem succeeds, no matter how brutal or amoral it may be, as long as it retains the integrity of its artifice; that a poem fails when the poet abandons the imaginative work of completing it in order to solicit the reader's sympathy or reproach. What Kirsch doesn't convince us of is his cold-blooded bottom line, which is that if art is to be great, it often must take precedence over life, regardless of the costs.”

“a flawed thesis, a few valuable readings of poems and a mess of missed opportunities.”