Profession: poet

The scholar Bodmer invited Klopstock to Zürich, but was upset by the young poet’s worldliness. Kauffman painted a scene from one of his poems, but a planned collaboration proved abortive and the friendship waned. He visited Goethe, not realising that Goethe’s achievements would put his own in the shade. Lavater called on him during an extensive trip through Germany while waiting for Zürich to cool down (he and Fuseli had denounced a corrupt magistrate there); so did the young Wordsworths and Coleridge when they passed through Hamburg on their way to a cold and miserable winter in the Harz.

Berrigan taught her — she describes herself as having been a habitue of his and Alice Notley’s household. Ginsberg, Creeley and Schuyler were all friends: Ginsberg was something of a role-model, while she worked for Schuyler, looking after him.

His friend Pope said Young had genius but no common sense. Swift told him that he (Swift) would die from the head down, like a tree. Young met Voltaire in England, and described his ‘Candide’ as “bold trash.” He addressed one of his works to his close friend Richardson, and wrote to him about ‘Clarissa’, as well as about the infirmity and depression he suffered towards the end of his life. Klopstock corresponded with Young, and regarded him as a hero; Klopstock’s wife thought that he should be made Archbishop of Canterbury.

Péret joined the proto-surrealist ‘Littérature’ group of Breton, Éluard and Tzara in 1920. Duhamel provided him with lodgings, and he was a regular visitor to Masson’s studio. He maintained an extensive correspondence with Picasso, practised automatic writing with Desnos, and joined Tanguy and Breton on ‘Corps Exquis’ drawing sessions. He co-edited ‘La Révolution surréaliste’ with Naville, and when Paz arrived in Paris on diplomatic duty, joined him and Breton in further surrealist activities and publications (Paz said that he believed too little in himself and placed little importance in his work).