Basil Bunting Quotes

A collection of quotes by Basil Bunting.

Basil Bunting (1900-1985) was a prominent English modernist poet. Born in Northumberland, he studied at Oxford University before becoming involved with various literary circles in London. Bunting's most famous work is the long poem "Briggflatts" (1966), which draws upon his experiences as a sailor and explores themes of love, memory, and the search for meaning. He is known for his innovative use of form and language, drawing inspiration from diverse sources like ancient Chinese poetry and the folk songs of his native Northumberland. Bunting's contributions to British poetry have earned him a lasting legacy as a significant figure in 20th-century literature.

The mystic purchases a moment of exhilaration with a lifetim

The mystic purchases a moment of exhilaration with a lifetime of confusion; and the confusion is infectious and destructive. It is confusing and destructive to try and explain anything in terms of anything else, poetry in terms of psychology.

I hate science. It denies a man's responsibility for his own

I hate science. It denies a man's responsibility for his own deeds, abolishes the brotherhood that springs from God's fatherhood. It is a hectoring, dictating expertise, which makes the least lovable of the Church Fathers seem liberal by contrast. It is far easier for a Hitler or a Stalin to find a mock-scientific excuse for persecution than it was for Dominic to find a mock-Christian one.

Can a moment of madness make up for an age of consent?

Can a moment of madness make up for an age of consent?

But their determination to banish fools foundered ultimately

But their determination to banish fools foundered ultimately in the installation of absolute idiots.

The mystic purchases a moment of exhilaration with a lifetim

The mystic purchases a moment of exhilaration with a lifetime of confusion and the confusion is infectious and destructive. It is confusing and destructive to try and explain anything in terms of anything else, poetry in terms of psychology.