The Book, Cat, & Cat Book Lovers Almanac

of historical trivia regarding books, cats, and other animals. Actually this blog has evolved so that it is described better as a blog about cats in history and culture. And we take as a theme the advice of Aldous Huxley: If you want to be a writer, get some cats. Don't forget to see the archived articles linked at the bottom of the page.

October 2, 2019

October 2, 1879

Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 to August 2, 1955) never met or even corresponded with T. S. Eliot. They neither were Bohemians. They were pleased at their appearances in the business mirror. According to Harold Bloom

Stevens said that he and Eliot were “dead opposites,” and he lampooned the Anglo-Catholic Brahmin from St. Louis as one of “the lean cats of the arches of the churches.”

Apparently Stevens meant by this that Eliot did not epitomize the uniqueness of the American achievement. I would distinguish the two in that, Eliot conveys a message, but Stevens presents a world full with meaning, without allowing that to be precisely stated.

Even so, who cares if you are burdened with messages, if you have cats.
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