Born in Brooklyn in 1935, Robert Kelly went to a Jesuit school, to CCNY, did graduate studies in Mediaeval and Renaissance literature at Columbia, worked for several years as a translator of scientific material, then began half a century of involvement with literary magazines (Chelsea Review, Trobar, Matter, Caterpillar, Conjunctions). His first book, Armed Descent, was published in 1961. He is finishing a novel on alien abduction, while continuing to write short fiction. In recent years he has been concerned with writing-in-collaboration with artists living (Birgit Kempker: Scham/Shame, 2004, and Brigitte Mahlknecht: The Garden of Distances, 2000) and dead (P.B.Shelley, Mont Blanc, 1994). Forthcoming are a long poem on the discourse of psychoanalysis, The Language of Eden, and a collection of essays. He teaches in the Writing Program at Bard College, where he lives with his wife, the translator Charlotte Mandell.
PUBLICATIONS:
Books of Poetry:
ARMED DESCENT. New York: Hawk's Well Press, 1961.
HER BODY AGAINST TIME. Mexico City: Ediciones El Corno Emplumado, 1963.
ROUND DANCES. New York: Trobar Press, 1964.
ENSTASY. Annandale: Matter, 1964.
LUNES/SIGHTINGS (with Jerome Rothenberg). New York: Hawk's Well Press, 1964.
WORDS IN SERVICE. New Haven: Robert Lamberton, 1966.
WEEKS. Mexico City: Ediciones El Corno Emplumado, 1966.
SONG XXIV. Cambridge: Pym-Randall Press, 1966.
DEVOTIONS. Annandale: Salitter, 1967.
TWENTY POEMS. Annandale: Matter Books, 1967.
AXON DENDRON TREE. Annandale: Salitter, 1967.
CROOKED BRIDGE LOVE SOCIETY. Annandale: Salitter, 1967.
A JOINING: A SEQUENCE FOR H:D: Los Angeles:Black Sparrow Press, 1967.
ALPHA. Gambier, Ohio: The Pot Hanger Press, 1967.
FINDING THE MEASURE. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1968.
SONNETS. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1968.
SONGS I-XXX. Cambridge: Pym-Randall Press, 1968.
THE COMMON SHORE. (Books 1 - 5) Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1969.
A CALIFORNIA JOURNAL. London: Big Venus Books, 1969.
KALI YUGA. London: Jonathan Cape, 1970. A Cape Goliard Book.
FLESH DREAM BOOK. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1971.
RALEGH. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1972.
THE PASTORALS. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1972.
READING HER NOTES. Uniondale: [privately printed at the Salisbury Press), 1972.
THE TEARS OF EDMUND BURKE. Annandale, privately printed, 1973.
THE MILL OF PARTICULARS. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1973.
THE LOOM. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1975.
SIXTEEN ODES. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1976.
THE LADY OF. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1977.
THE CONVECTIONS. Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1977.
THE BOOK OF PERSEPHONE. New Paltz: Treacle Press, 1978.
KILL THE MESSENGER. Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1979.
SENTENCE. Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 1980.
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1981.
THE ALCHEMIST TO MERCURY: an alternate opus. [Uncollected Poems 1960-1980) edited by Jed Rasula] Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1981.
MULBERRY WOMEN [with drypoints by Matt Phillips], Berkeley: Hiersoux, Powers, Thomas,1982.
UNDER WORDS. Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1983.
THOR'S THRUSH. Oakland: The Coincidence Press, 1984.
NOT THIS ISLAND MUSIC. Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press, 1987.
THE FLOWERS OF UNCEASING COINCIDENCE. Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 1988.
OAHU. Rhinebeck: St Lazaire Press, 1988.
ARIADNE. Rhinebeck: St Lazaire Press, 1991.
MANIFESTO FOR THE NEXT NEW YORK SCHOOL. Buffalo: Leave Press, 1991.
A STRANGE MARKET. (Poems 1985-1988), Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press, 1992.
MONT BLANC (a long poem inscribed within Shelley’s). Ann Arbor, Otherwind Press, 1994.
RED ACTIONS: Selected Poems 1960-1993. Santa Rosa, Black Sparrow Press,1995.
THE TIME OF VOICE. Poems 1994-1996. Santa Rosa, Black Sparrow Press, 1998.
RUNES. Ann Arbor, Otherwind Press, 1999
THE GARDEN OF DISTANCES.(with Brigitte Mahlknecht) Vienna / Lana, Editions Procura, 1999
LAPIS. Boston: Godine/Black Sparrow, 2005
A RUNIC WORKBOOK (privately printed, 2006)
THE LANGUAGE OF EDEN, forthcoming, Black Square Editions
THREADS, First Intensity Press, Lawrence, 2006
SAINTE-TERRE, Shivastan Press, Katmandu, 2007
MAY DAY, Parsifal Press, 2007
Books of Fiction :
THE SCORPIONS. New York: Doubleday, 1967, London: Calder and Boyars, 1968.
(2nd Ed., with a new afterword, Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 1986)
CITIES. West Newbury, Massachusetts: Frontier Press, 1972.
A LINE OF SIGHT. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1974.
WHERES. Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1978.
THE CRUISE OF THE PNYX. Barrytown: Station Hill Press, 1979.
"Russian Tales" in LIKELY STORIES, ed. Bruce McPherson. New Paltz, Treacle Press, 1981.
A TRANSPARENT TREE. Kingston: McPherson & Co., 1985.
DOCTOR OF SILENCE. Kingston: McPherson & Co., 1988.
CAT SCRATCH FEVER. Kingston: McPherson & Co., 1990.
QUEEN OF TERRORS. Kingston: McPherson & Co., 1994.
SHAME/SCHAM (Birgit Kempker):. Kingston: McPherson & Co. 2006
Other Books:
IN TIME. West Newbury, Massachusetts: Frontier Press, 1972. [Essays and manifestoes]
A CONTROVERSY OF POETS (with Paris Leary). New York: Doubleday Anchor, 1965.
ABZIEHBILDER, HEIMGEHOLT (with Jacques Roubaud and Schuldt). Graz and Vienna, Droschl, 1995
EARISH (homeophonic translations of Paul Celan) (forthcoming)
