The Demon and the Angel: Searching for the Source of Artistic Inspiration - Softcover

PRAISE FOR THE DEMON AND THE ANGEL "Unique, exhilarating, and virtuosic."--Booklist PRAISE FOR HOW TO READ A POEM "A lovely book, full of joy and wisdom."--The Baltimore Sun "A wise, exhilarating book; Edward Hirsch is the most endearing of guides to the ecstasies of reading poetry."--Susan Sontag

A work of art, whether a painting, a dance, a poem, or a jazz composition, can be admired in its own right. But how does the artist actually create his or her work? What is the source of an artist's inspiration? What is the force that impels the artist to set down a vision that becomes art? In this groundbreaking book, Edward Hirsch explores the concept of duende, that mysterious, highly potent power of creativity that results in a work of art. With examples ranging from Federico Garcia Lorca's wrestling with darkness as he discovered the fountain of words within himself to Martha Graham's creation of her most emotional dances, from the canvases of Robert Motherwell to William Blake's celestial visions, Hirsch taps into the artistic imagination and explains, in terms illuminating and emotional, how different artists respond to the power and demonic energy of creative impulse.