Paul Zukofsky, violinist, conductor, son of poet Louis Zukofsky, has declared war on pretty much everybody who gives a rat’s ass about Louis Zukofsky:
In general, as a matter of principle, and for your own well-being, I urge you to not work on Louis Zukofsky, and prefer that you do not. Working on LZ will be far more trouble than it is worth…. Finally, when all else fails, and you remain hell-bent on quoting LZ, but you really, really REALLY do not want to deal with me…
And that goes for you so-called academics and conniving dissertation students, too!
Unsurprisingly, there are now half-a-dozen scanned copies of LZ’s masterwork “A” circulating teh interwebs. Don’t worry Paul, I’m sure they won’t stoop to reading it!
Funny thing is that Louis Zukofsky was something of a virtuoso in the art of appropriation, as the above quote from PZ, quoted by LZ in “A”-12 (p.214) shows.
Think PZ got permission for that e.e. cummings quotation? © 1931 by the Trustees for the E. E. Cummings Trust, according to my copy.
Son Of Zukofsky is one funny fella all right.
Paul does have a point here. He states that LZ was careful about his copyrights and intended his work to live on and supply an income stream, however meager, for his heirs (Celia and Paul). Today's internet bloggers would consider that to be a quaint 19thC concept, especially for poets.
But Paul is right .. the work is copyrighted, and permission to quote should be requested.
Still, he could have stated it in a less pedantic way.
(PS: I studied with LZ in the early 60's, and I know how concerned he was about money, his work, and copyrights.)