The Idea of Order at Key West Resources

Here is a link to some smart people talking about the poem. If you click this, you truly are headed off the deep end.

Check out these quotes from Stevens. He has something to say about, well, everything.

This is a great tribute site (of sorts) to Stevens, called "Friends and Enemies of Wallace Stevens."

This one-hour video includes footage of Stevens' hometown, as well as interviews with neighbors and coworkers. VH1's Behind the Music it ain't, but it is an interesting look at Stevens from different perspectives.

Here's a scenic video, starring just part of the poem.

"The Idea of Order at Key West" was the inspiration for this piece by American composer Robert Erickson. Do you think Wallace would have liked it? We think it's hard to dance to.

Before you listen, try reading the poem aloud yourself. Maybe you can give Wallace a run for his money! Or maybe not.

Here's the most iconic image of the man.

You asked for it. Click the link to see Wallace as a boy, young man, old man, with his wife, with his daughter, with his house—you get the picture. (See what we did there?)

Art critic Peter Schjeldahl seems to really dig this poem.

This 1954 article from The New York Times gives a glimpse into Wallace the man—including a bit about his eating habits. Apparently, he rarely ate lunch. Not us. The only way we miss lunch is if we eat brunch—twice!

Take a look at Wallace Stevens' obituary from The New York Times.

Hey! Great news! Stevens wrote a whole book of these really difficult poems! It's called—wait for it—Ideas of Order. While this particular book is out of print and will run you about $195, you can check out some Stevens collections here.

It looks like some folks made a $4000 homage to one of Stevens' most famous poems, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird."