Al Alvarez Quotes

A collection of quotes by Al Alvarez.

Al Alvarez (1929-2019) was an English poet, writer, and literary critic. He was born in London and studied English literature at the University of Oxford. Alvarez became known for his influential poetry collection "Oxygen" and his acclaimed book "The Savage God: A Study of Suicide." He was a key figure in the literary life of London, known for his involvement in the literary magazine "The New Poetry" and his close association with poets such as Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. Alvarez's insightful criticism and passionate poetry made him a notable figure in 20th-century literature.

In I had attacked the British poets' nervous preference for

In I had attacked the British poets' nervous preference for gentility above all else, and their avoidance of the uncomfortable, destructive truths both of the inner life and of the present time.

Al Alvarez

Life Time Truth Thetimes

The real resistance now is to an art which forces its audien

The real resistance now is to an art which forces its audience to recognize and accept imaginatively, in their nerve ends, not the facts of life but the facts of death and violence: absurd, random, gratuitous, unjustified, and inescapably part of the society we have created.

Al Alvarez

Life Death Art Society Theend Force