XXIII
Jack Gilbert, once photographed by Vogue and
Glamour magazines was the poet of loneliness
who, like Spicer, used the shaman Orpheus to
convey many of his themes (Reisman, 2012). In
fact, Gilbert was acquainted with Spicer and also
knew Rexroth and Ginsberg. He married lesser
known beat poet Laura Ulewicz. Grand
metaphors, concise language mixed with
mythology are Gilbert's style, a style that is
influenced greatly by the early 20 th century
modernists. Gilbert is the unlikely shaman, yet
despite this, his poem's deal with shamanic heroes
such as Orpheus and Prospero and his poems have
hidden mysticism and propensity to heal. In
addition to this, like Spicer, he is a poet on the
margins. As Dudley Fitts states of his poetry ",
the problem is the tormenting one of
communication" (Reisman, 2012). The shaman
(e.g. saman…one who knows) is, as we know, the
definite "outsider" in many traditions. In
Dispraise of poetry", Gilbert depicts Greek bard
Orpheus as the outsider, analogous to the poet
himself in a hostile society. In the beat styled
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