“Truth, Beauty, Honour. It involves something basic to my whole conception of poetry—namely, that however imperfect we may be, we must still make the attempt to approach with honourable objectivity and good will, the world of fact. I see poetry as being precisely the manifestation of that good will.”–Ian Hamilton Finlay

Collected in Midway: Letters from Ian Hamilton Finlay to Stephen Bann

1964-69

I recently wrote a review of Midway: Letters from Ian Hamilton Finlay to Stephen Bann 1964-69 for the Burlington Magazine, which I cannot, for copyright reasons, post here.  However, I would urge those interested in Finlay or in artistic development in general, to read.

I had the pleasure of attending the 2004 Idylls and Interventions exhibit at the Victoria Miro Gallery in London.  However, exhibits of Finlay’s work in the United States are unfortunately not a frequent occurrence.  So, I was quite excited to hear that on view May 16^th –October 13^th 2014 at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum near Boston is Ian Hamilton Finlay: Arcadian Revolutionary and Avant-Gardener.  There are also events related to the exhibit, which include Poet Laureate Charles Simic, and landscape historian John Dixon Hunt, author of Nature Over Again: The Garden Art of Ian Hamilton Finlay—also recommended reading.  I hope to attend the John Dixon Hunt lecture on October 8^th .  Perhaps I will see you there.