Living Landscape: An Interview with Gary Snyder

LIVING LANDSCAPE: A n In t e r v ie w w it h Ga r y S n y d e r JOHN P. O’GRADY In O ct o b e r 1997, I in ter v iew ed t h e p o e t G ar y Sn y d er . T h e su b ­ je c t o f ou r d iscu ssio n w as th e in flu en ce t h e A m e r ic an W est an d its liter atu r e h as h ad o n h im an d o n h is w ork. O v e r th e cou r se o f h is lo n g career, h e h as p u b lish e d m or e t h an tw o d ozen b o o k s an d h as b e e n aw ar d ed b o t h th e P u litzer (1 9 7 5 ) an d th e Bo llin ge n (1 9 9 7 ) P rizes, b u t h is im p o r t an ce e xt e n d s w ell b ey o n d liter atu r e. “I w ish to b e a sp o k e sm an ,” h e h as said , “for a r e alm t h at is n o t u su ally r ep r e­ se n t e d e it h e r in in te lle ct u al ch am b er s or in t h e ch am b er s o f go v e r n ­ m e n t ” ( T u rtle Islan d 1 0 6 ). Sn y d e r is o n e o f ou r cu lt u r e ’s ve n er ab le t e ach e r s. Sin c e 1 986, h e h as b e e n a p r ofessor at t h e U n iv e r sit y o f C a lifo r n ia, D av is, w h ere, in ad d it io n to c o n d u ct in g classes in w ritin g an d liter atu r e, h e fo u n d e d t h at in st it u t io n ’s acclaim e d N at u r e an d C u lt u r e P r ogram . I first m e t Sn y d e r at D av is in A p r il 1986, d u r in g m y first year o f d o ct o r al stu d ies an d h is first year o n t h e facu lty. T o in tr o d u ce h im se lf t o t h e u n iv er sity com m u n ity , h e gav e a r ead in g an d t alk e d ab o u t th e m o u n tain s o f th e W est. In p ar t icu lar h e sp o k e o f th e C asc ad e s, t h at sn ow y str in g o f v o lc a n ic p e ak s t h a t e xt e n d s lik e a n e ck lace alo n g th e P acific Slo p e , fr om n o r th e r n C a lifo r n ia t o Br it ish C o lu m b ia. “T h o se u n e ar th ly glo w in g flo atin g sn ow y su m m its are a p r om ise to t h e sp ir ­ it ,” h e later w r ote in T...