"The bestselling poet of 1968 was Rod McKuen, who penned rhythmic little bon mots that he read in a raspy voice suggestive either of emotion or bronchitis. A Hollywood songwriter, clean-shaven with V-neck sweaters, McKuen was a long way from the beats. But by early 1968 he had already sold 250,000 volumes of his unabashedly sentimental verse. His two books, Stanyan Street and Other Sorrows and Listen to the Warm, were selling more than any book on The New York Times fiction bestseller list, although they were not listed, because poetry was not included on bestseller lists. With characteristic self-effacing candor, he said in a 1968 interview, “I’m not a poet; I’m a stringer of words.” When he came down with hepatitis, fans by the hundreds sent him stuffed animals. To many, he and his fans seemed unbearable."
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Activists from the United StatesComposers from the United StatesLGBT peopleLGBT rights activistsPianists from the United States
Original Language: English
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Sources
Mark Kurlansky, 1968: The Year that Rocked the World (2004), p. 132 ISBN 0-345-45581-9
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rod_McKuen
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Rod McKuen
Rod McKuen (29 April 1933 – 29 January 2015) was an American poet, songwriter, composer, and singer, one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career he produced a wide range of recordings, which included popular music, spoken word poetry, film soundtracks, and classical music, earning two Oscar nominations and one Pulitzer nomination. McKuen's translations and adaptations of the songs of Jacques Brel were instrumental in bringing the Belgian songwr
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