Comments on A Burning Patience: CIA funding of arts activities

Thanks for your comments on my "Roses in Water" po...

2008-09-19T03:43:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your comments on my "Roses in Water" poem.

In researching material for another poem, I ran across this government page for recruiting children to various government agencies including the CIA, FBI, DIA, etc... They're not waiting for the children to grow up or become literate before they're recruited as these pages are filled with various (though lame by today's standards) video games.

https://www.nsa.gov/kids/notices/notic00003.cfm

Sheryl, I don't remember offhand if the book speci...

2007-06-18T23:39:00.000-05:00

Sheryl, I don't remember offhand if the book specifically mentions the Paris Review. I remember it specifically names the Kenyon Review and Partisan Review as magazines the author says received CIA funding and/or were in other ways influenced by the CIA with regard to their editorial policies and content.

According to the book, the CIA also published its own literary and cultural magazines (funding them by filtering money through several layers of foundations so the source of the funds wouldn't be too obvious). Among these was the magazine Encounter -- the book talks much about it. There were also similar CIA-published magazines in France, Germany, South America (I don't remember the specific countries offhand). This according to author Frances Stonor Saunders.

I found some information about this online, and also reviews of Stonor Saunders' book, when I googled phrases like "CIA funding arts" and "CIA funding literature" etc. (I didn't include the quote marks in the search window.)

Julia, I've mostly known the Kenyon Review by reputation. I gather that in the late 1940's and the 1950's it was considered one of the more prestigious magazines to publish in, if you were a poet or writer trying to get a job teaching in a college or university.

How the Kenyon Review in particular impacted literature, I'm not sure in any detail. It was part of a general trend during those years, among more conservative literary magazines, to turn away from publishing writing with overt political or social content, toward a supposed "art for art's sake" approach. In general, it seems to me, most of the literary magazines attached to university English departments during those years followed that same conservative trend.

Stonor Saunder's book doesn't suggest CIA funding of large numbers of literary magazines, but by funding just a few "prestigious" ones they were able subtly to influence the tone and content of many others.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Glad your computer is working again.What impact di...

2007-06-18T13:09:00.000-05:00

Glad your computer is working again.

What impact did the Kenyon Review have on American literature? So what was the impact of CIA funding on the literature or art of the period?

yes!Bill Knott was serious then about the CIA fund...

2007-06-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

yes!

Bill Knott was serious then about the CIA funding the Paris Review?

wow. Too weird.

Great to have you back, Lyle!

2007-06-17T15:36:00.000-05:00

Great to have you back, Lyle!

welcome back :)

2007-06-16T20:40:00.000-05:00

welcome back :)