The New Yorker: Poetry Podcast – Episode Summary

Title: Edward Hirsch Reads Gerald Stern
Host/Author: WNYC Studios and The New Yorker
Release Date: March 26, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of The New Yorker: Poetry, Kevin Young, the poetry editor of The New Yorker Magazine, welcomes the esteemed poet Edward Hirsch. Hirsch, a recipient of numerous accolades including the MacArthur Fellowship and the National Book Critics Circle Award, engages in an insightful conversation about Gerald Stern's poem "96 Van Damme" and Hirsch's own work, notably his poem "Man on a Fire Escape."

Gerald Stern's "96 Van Damme"

Selection and Significance

Edward Hirsch begins by explaining his personal connection to Gerald Stern, likening Stern to an older brother who offered him his first job in 1975. This deep-rooted relationship influenced Hirsch's selection of Stern's poem "96 Van Damme" from the New Yorker Archive and the anthology A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker, 1925-2025.

"[Gerald Stern] was like an older brother to me. He hired me for my first job at Poets in the Schools in Pennsylvania in 1975."
— Edward Hirsch (01:53)

Reading of "96 Van Damme"

Hirsch proceeds to read Stern's "96 Van Damme", a vivid portrayal of pushing a bed through the urban landscape of New York City.

Analysis and Discussion

Post-reading, Hirsch delves into the poem's blend of the literal and surreal. He highlights the urban setting and the poem's emotional core—an intense longing for home and shelter amidst the city's vastness.

"It's a poem that gets stranger the more you look at it... But driving it, I think, is this kind of emotional desperation or longing to find a home, to go home."
— Edward Hirsch (04:37)

Kevin Young remarks on the poem's American idiom and its balance between the mystical and the mundane, noting the tension that makes the poem resonate.

"There is this kind of tension in it between the mystical and what we might think of as the mundane..."
— Kevin Young (07:10)

Hirsch further explores the poem's themes of exhaustion, maturity, and the interplay between personal longing and the urban environment.

"I think what we feel in poems like '96 Van Damme' is the exuberance of a young poet, but the experience and maturity of someone who's in middle age."
— Edward Hirsch (10:10)

The discussion underscores how Stern's work embodies a rootedness in place while yearning for something beyond, capturing a universal yet distinctly American essence.

Edward Hirsch's "Man on a Fire Escape"

Introduction to Hirsch's Poem

Transitioning to his own work, Hirsch introduces his poem "Man on a Fire Escape", published in the November 25, 1991 issue of The New Yorker. He reflects on the honor of having his poem featured in the magazine, particularly one that encapsulates the urban experience.

"I'm very fond of fire escapes in poems, but I'm very fond of this kind of urban scenery."
— Edward Hirsch (19:43)

Reading of "Man on a Fire Escape"

Hirsch reads his poem, which depicts a near-apocalyptic vision witnessed from a fire escape, blending the mundane with the extraordinary.

Analysis and Discussion

Post-reading, Hirsch discusses the poem's exploration of liminal spaces—both physically and metaphorically—and its roots in urban loneliness inspired by Edward Hopper's paintings.

"The loneliness in it, I think. And the American quality of it."
— Edward Hirsch (27:16)

Kevin Young appreciates the poem's epic quality within a lyric framework, noting the tension between the ordinary twilight and the apocalyptic vision that unfolds.

"There's something wonderful about it... Where had he crossed to? Nowhere."
— Kevin Young (24:19)

Hirsch elaborates on his creative process, expressing how the poem balances the vernacular with the romantic, rooted firmly in the urban landscape.

"The language moves between something vernacular and something more romantic."
— Edward Hirsch (27:42)

The conversation highlights the poem's portrayal of imagination's power and its ability to convey profound experiences beyond what prose can achieve.

Forthcoming Work: "My Childhood in Pieces"

Overview of Hirsch's Memoir

Edward Hirsch introduces his upcoming memoir, My Childhood in Pieces, described as a blend of stand-up comedy and an elegy for his upbringing in Skokie, a suburb of Chicago.

"Each one [piece] has a turn, as in a poem."
— Edward Hirsch (32:37)

He explains the memoir's structure, which uses short, poem-like pieces inspired by his parents' sayings to narrate his childhood stories with comedic timing and an underlying elegiac tone.

Themes and Inspirations

Hirsch discusses the memoir's exploration of cultural shifts, particularly the transformation of his lower-middle-class Jewish Chicago environment of the 50s and 60s.

"It started out as stand up comedy. And then it also had this elegiac quality."
— Edward Hirsch (30:54)

Kevin Young connects Hirsch's use of humor to survival, noting the memoir's ability to blend tough jokes with poignant reflections.

"The jokes are, like, hard, but they're funny."
— Edward Hirsch (31:19)

Hirsch shares anecdotes from his book, illustrating the blend of humor and tenderness that defines his narrative style.

"My grandmother said, 'If I had a brain sale, I'd charge the most for yours.'"
— Edward Hirsch (31:34)

Conclusion

Kevin Young wraps up the conversation by highlighting the accessible availability of both Gerald Stern's "96 Van Damme" and Edward Hirsch's "Man on a Fire Escape" on newyorker.com, alongside the anthology A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker, 1925-2025. He also promotes Hirsch's forthcoming memoir, My Childhood in Pieces, inviting listeners to explore the intersection of humor and memory.

"Man on a Fire Escape by Edward Hirsch, as well as Gerald Stern's 96 Van Damme, can be found on newyorker.com..."
— Kevin Young (33:32)

Edward Hirsch expresses his gratitude for the conversation, emphasizing the thrill of sharing his work and insights.

"It's a thrill. Thanks for having me, Kevin."
— Edward Hirsch (33:29)

This episode offers a deep dive into the art of poetry, showcasing the intricate balance between personal experience and universal themes, as explored through the works of Gerald Stern and Edward Hirsch. Through engaging readings and thoughtful analysis, listeners gain a richer understanding of the poetic landscape as curated by The New Yorker.