Autobiography (1970)

 

Although published only under LZ’s name, this is actually another collaboration with CZ, consisting primarily of a selection of short poems accompanied by CZ’s musical settings. CZ began composing music to short poems in 1940 (“Motet”, included in I’s (pronounced eyes)) and by 1952 had done all the 22 settings to 18 poems that make up the bulk of Autobiography. In 1967 LZ was asked to write a brief biographical statement which became the short remarks distributed through Autobiography (Scroggins Bio 410) It is not clear when LZ first conceived of this as a publishable project, but the introduction is dated 17 Feb. 1962, which was also the period during which the two were working on Catullus together and that LZ took every opportunity to make public CZ’s collaborative efforts. Autobiography was published in a very attractive design, with the musical scores in light brown print, by Grossman in 1970, and has never been reprinted.

 

The poems included were all written between 1930 and 1952, but are not arranged in chronological order.

 

The poems included are as follows:

 

Motet [Some Time]

Song 11 [55 Poems]

Song 8 (2 musical settings) [55 Poems]

#5 [Anew]

Song 22 [55 Poems]

Light: #10 [Some Time]

Song 21 [55 Poems]

Song 16 [55 Poems]

Song 13 [55 Poems]

#36 [Anew]

A Song for the Year’s End: #1 [Some Time]

#29 [Anew]

que j’ay dit devant: #1 [Some Time]

So that even a lover: #1 [Some Time]

Xenophanes [Some Time]

“As to how much” [Some Time]

To My Valentines [Some Time]

Old [Some Time]

 

Other volumes of selected poems

 

In addition to the Autobiography, LZ and/or CZ made and published several selections of poetry during the 1960s.

 

16 Once Published (Edinburgh, Scotland: The Wild Hawthorn Press, 1962)

 

This selection made by CZ and apparently included an introduction consisting of excerpts from “Poetry / for my son when he can read,” but at LZ’s request not bound into the book and inserted loose-leaf (Booth 40).

 

Passing tall (55 Poems)

Run on, you still dead to the sound of a name (55 Poems)

PROP. LXI (55 Poems)

It’s a gay li – ife (55 Poems)

No One Inn (55 Poems)

Che di lor suona su nella tua vita (Anew)

It’s hard to see but think of a sea (Anew)

No it was no dream of coming death (Anew)

Strange (Anew)

The world autumn (Anew)

Xenophanes (Some Time)

Air (Anew)

Shang Cup (Anew)

An Incident (Anew)

The green leaf that will outlast the winter (Barely and widely)

Ashtray (Barely and widely)

 

Found Objects (Georgetown, Kentucky: H.B. Chapin, 1964), A Blue Grass Book.

 

The Ways (After I’s)

Stratford-on-Avon (Barely and widely)

The Guests (Some Time)

Michtam (Some Time)

You three: —my wife (Anew)

“One oak fool box”; —the pun (Anew)

1892-1941 (Anew)

“Mantis” (55 Poems)

“Specifically, a writer of music” (55 Poems)

Song—3/4 time (55 Poems)

To my wash-stand (55 Poems)

Poem beginning “The” (55 Poems)

 

“A” Libretto (NY: privately printed [mimeographed], 1965)

 

Composed of selections from all movements of “A” through “A”-17 plus “A”-20, except “A”-15; almost certainly made by CZ.