This from Lisa Jarnot‘s biography of Robert Duncan, via Seth Lerer’s review at SFGate:
A poet does not serve institutions … for he has one allegiance, to his vision of the good of humanity, and he has one responsibility, to the truth of the human spirit.
A compelling statement that puts Duncan in the company of writers like Camus and Hikmet. It explains why his poetry—erudite, archetypal, eccentric—feels nevertheless so grounded. It’s as if William Blake were reincarnated and sent to live among the hills above San Francisco Bay….