Numerous works by artists in various media have been based on or influenced by Ashbery’s work or persona. The selection of Ashberiana presented here is an in-progress list of items (films, poems, plays, novels, musical compositions, works of visual art, etc.) that are directly related to specific poems by Ashbery, arranged according to the major volume in which those poems first appeared. This format suggests certain patterns of use that may generate further inquiry into the attraction that certain of Ashbery’s poems and collections seem to have for other artists. (Please note that many important works of Ashberiana that respond to Ashbery’s work or persona in a general way rather than to a specific poem are not listed here in this section; see below.)

The extent to which Ashbery’s poems are involved in other artists’ subsequent works ranges from passing references to or epigraphs from an Ashbery work, to the appropriation of a title or the manipulation of lines from his poem, to more extended meditations on, parodies of, or homages to his poetry.

Single works of Ashberiana that are related to more than one Ashbery poem are listed separately for each poem to which they respond. Publication of Ashbery’s poems in anthologies, limited or fine art editions, or periodicals are included here only when such publication is the only appearance of the poem in question.

For each of the works of Ashberiana cited here, users will find a complete, annotated citation in Section K of the online, searchable catalogue of the ARC’s archive. As mentioned above, Section K of the catalogue also includes many works of Ashberiana that respond to Ashbery’s work or persona in a general way rather than to a particular poem, and therefore are not listed in this selection. You may search the catalogue for any of these works. The full citations for books by Ashbery also include information about Ashbery’s own sources, as well as speculation about the influences on his works that came in turn to influence others. Please check carefully for the full range of information.


Some Trees, 1956

'Glazunoviana':
  • Edward Byrne's poem 'Glazunoviana?'


'The Picture of Little J.A. in a Prospect of Flowers':

  • Kenneth Koch's poem 'A Time Zone'
  • Peter Jay Shippy's poem 'Bricolage of Little J.A. (in Replica Mudville Jersey)'


'Sonnet' ['Each servant stamps the reader with a look.']:

  • Ted Berrigan's sonnet 'XVII'
  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'


'Errors':

  • Randall Mann's poem 'Poem Beginning with a Line by John Ashbery'


'Illustration':

  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'


'Some Trees':

  • Ned Rorem's musical composition 'Some Trees: Three Poems for Three Voices'
    (alternately titled 'Some Trees and Other Songs')
  • Jerzy Kosinski's novel Being There (subsequently made into a film starring Peter Sellers)
  • Dave Morice's comic strip 'Some Trees'
  • Jeffrey Skinner's poem 'John Ashbery'


'The Painter':

  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'


'And You Know':

  • John Tranter's poem 'Grover Leach'


'Answering a Question in the Mountains':

  • Kenneth Koch and Frank O'Hara's poem 'Essay on Esthetics'



The Tennis Court Oath
, 1962

'The Tennis Court Oath':

  • Carole Maso's novel Ava


'''They Dream Only of America''':

  • Charles Bernstein's poem 'Gertrude and Ludwig's Bogus Adventure'


'Thoughts of a Young Girl':

  • Ned Rorem's musical composition 'Nantucket Songs'
  • Caveh Zahedi's film In the Bathtub of the World


'''How Long Shall I Inhabit the Divine Sepulcher . . .''':

  • Ted Berrigan's sonnet 'II'


'Leaving the Atocha Station':

  • Johannes Beilharz's poem 'Leaving Atocha Station' / 'Abschied von Atocha'


'White Roses':

  • Paul Reif's musical composition 'White Roses'


'Our Youth':

  • Ned Rorem's musical composition 'Some Trees: Three Poems for Three Voices' (alternately titled 'Some Trees and Other Songs')
  • Harriet Zinnes' collection My, Haven't the Flowers Been? and her poem of the same title


'Faust':

  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'


'A Last World':

  • Keith Abbott's poem 'On the Surface of a Round Mind'
  • Denver Butson's poem 'Drowning Ghazal'


'Europe':

  • Eric Salzman's musical composition 'Foxes and Hedgehogs'



Rivers and Mountains
, 1966

'Rivers and Mountains':

  • Ted Berrigan's collection So Going Around Cities: New and Selected Poems, 1958-1979 , and his poem 'So Going Around Cities'


'Last Month':

  • Ted Berrigan's sonnet 'LXXIV'
  • Jim Carroll's prose piece 'The Academy of the Future Is Opening Its Doors . . .'


'Clepsydra':

  • James Dashow's musical composition 'Ashbery Setting'


'If the Birds Knew':

  • Tom Devaney's poem 'Near and Far'


'The Ecclesiast':

  • Philip Pullman's novel The Amber Spyglass


'The Skaters':

  • Tom Raworth's poem '10:30 a.m. May 26th. 1970'



Three Madrigals
, 1968

'Three Madrigals':

  • Eric Salzman's musical composition 'The Nude Paper Sermon'



The Double Dream of Spring, 1970

Variations, Calypso and Fugue on a Theme of Ella Wheeler Wilcox':

  • Susan Howe and Maureen Owen's poem 'Variations, Calypso and Fugue on a Theme of Ella Wheeler Wilcox'


'Farm Implements and Rutabagas in a Landscape':

  • M. Trap's poem 'The Nigger Attack in John Ashbery'



Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror, 1975

'Poem in Three Parts' (second stanza of Section 1, 'Love'):

  • Michael Webster's musical composition 'Love (2nd part)'


'Voyage in the Blue':

  • James Dashow's musical composition 'Second Voyage'


'Fear of Death':

  • Ned Rorem's musical composition 'Nantucket Songs'


'Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror':

  • Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror, fine art edition from Arion Press, 1984, with visual artworks by Richard Avedon, Elaine de Kooning, Willem de Kooning, Jim Dine, Jane Freilicher, Alex Katz, R.B. Kitaj and Larry Rivers
  • Roger Reynold's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical composition 'Whispers Out of Time'
  • David Lehman's poem 'The Shield of a Greeting (for J.A.)'
  • David Hirson's play Wrong Mountain
  • John Duesenberry's electronic musical composition 'WaveBreak'



Houseboat Days
, 1977

'Pyrography':

  • various portraits of Ashbery by Larry Rivers ('Poem and Portrait of John Ashbery,' etc.)


'Crazy Weather':

  • Richard Wilson's musical composition 'Poor Warren'
  • Scott Wheeler's musical composition 'Wakefield Doubles'


'Daffy Duck in Hollywood':

  • Jeffrey Skinner's poem 'John Ashbery'


'And Ut Pictura Poesis Is Her Name':

  • Jeni Olin's poem 'Beginning With Lines by John Ashbery'


'The Thief of Poetry':

  • James Dashow's musical composition 'A Way of Staying'


'Syringa':

  • Elliott Carter's musical composition 'Syringa'



As We Know, 1979

'Otherwise':

  • Richard Wilson's musical composition 'Three Songs on Poems by John Ashbery'


'The Cathedral Is':

  • Mark J. Scearce's musical composition 'Four Quotations'
  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'


'I Had Thought Things Were Going Along Well':

  • Mark J. Scearce's musical composition 'Four Quotations'
  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'


'Out over the Bay the Rattle of Firecrackers':

  • Mark J. Scearce's musical composition 'Four Quotations'
  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'


'We Were on the Terrace Drinking Gin and Tonics':

  • Mark J. Scearce's musical composition 'Four Quotations'
  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'



Shadow Train, 1981

'Qualm':

  • Richard Wilson's musical composition 'Poor Warren'


'Frontispiece':

  • Richard Wilson's musical composition 'Poor Warren'


'Untilted':

  • Rudy Burckhardt's film Untilted


'Indelible, Inedible':

  • Rudy Burckhardt's film Indelible, Inedible



A Wave
, 1984

'At North Farm':

  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'
  • Lee Hyla's musical composition 'At North Farm'
  • Ned Rorem's musical composition 'Another Sleep'


'Landscape (After Baudelaire)':

  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'


'Just Walking Around':

  • Richard Wilson's musical composition 'Poor Warren'
  • Lilia Rodionova's musical composition 'Meditation'


'37 Haiku':

  • Christian Wolff's musical composition '37 Haiku'


'Never Seek to Tell Thy Love':

  • Don Stewart's musical composition 'Never Seek to Tell Thy Love'


'A Wave':

  • Lisa Lewis' poem 'Media'
  • Mike Berg's mural 'The Days Now Move From Left to Right'
  • Michael McClure's poem 'Suite for John Ashbery'



April Galleons, 1987

'Posture of Unease':

  • Peter Lieberson's musical composition 'Postures of Unease'


'Ostensibly':

  • Rudy Burckhardt's film Ostensibly



Flow Chart, 1991

'Flow Chart':

  • Peter Straub's novel The Throat
  • Andrew Johnston's poem The Sunflower



Hotel Lautréamont
, 1992

'Hotel Lautréamont':

  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'


'A Sedentary Existence':

  • Geoff Dyer's story 'Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It'


[Untitled: 'And now I cannot remember how I would have had it. It is not a conduit (confluence?)']:

  • Siah Armajani's Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge (Minneapolis, MN, 1988) (Ashbery's poem was commissioned for Armajani's work)


'How to Continue':

  • Brooke Bergan and D.R. Heiniger's poem 'John Ashbery: Hotel Lautréamont
    Ruth Lilly Award Luncheon Newberry Library, Chicago, 5 June 1992'



And the Stars Were Shining, 1994

'The Love Scenes':
  • Brooke Bergan and D.R. Heiniger's poem 'John Ashbery: Hotel Lautréamont
    Ruth Lilly Award Luncheon Newberry Library, Chicago, 5 June 1992'


'Title Search':

  • Brooke Bergan and D.R. Heiniger's poem 'John Ashbery: Hotel Lautréamont
    Ruth Lilly Award Luncheon Newberry Library, Chicago, 5 June 1992'


'Well, Yes, Actually':

  • Brooke Bergan and D.R. Heiniger's poem 'John Ashbery: Hotel Lautréamont
    Ruth Lilly Award Luncheon Newberry Library, Chicago, 5 June 1992'


The Decline of the West':

  • Brooke Bergan and D.R. Heiniger's poem 'John Ashbery: Hotel Lautréamont
    Ruth Lilly Award Luncheon Newberry Library, Chicago, 5 June 1992'


'Myrtle':

  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about'



Can You Hear, Bird, 1995

'Debit Night':

  • Roger Reynolds' musical composition 'last things, i think, to think about' (Ashbery's poem was commissioned for Reynolds' work)


'Do Husbands Matter?':

  • Jane Hammond's painting 'Do Husbands Matter?'
  • David Lehman's poem 'Do Husbands Matter?'


'No Longer Very Clear':

  • Twelve composers were commissioned by WNYC-FM to create musical settings / interpretations of Ashbery's poem 'No Longer Very Clear': Sergio Cervetti, Morton Gould, John Corigliano, Anthony Davis, Milton Babbitt, Peter Shickele, Robin Holcomb, Philip Glass, Raphael Mostel, Tania León, Joan Tower and Laurie Anderson


'Theme':

  • Alvin Lucier's musical composition 'Theme.'



Wakefulness, 1998

'Wakefulness':

  • Jeff Nichols' musical composition 'Wakefulness'


'Laughing Gravy':

  • Charles Wuorinen's musical composition 'Ashberyana'
  • Samuel Vriezen's musical composition 'Krise'


'Dear Sir or Madam':

  • Charles Wuorinen's musical composition 'Ashberyana'


'The Laughter of Dead Men':

  • Charles Wuorinen's musical composition 'Ashberyana'


'Outside my Window the Japanese . . .':

  • Charles Wuorinen's musical composition 'Ashberyana'



Girls on the Run
, 1999

'Girls on the Run':

  • John Zorn's musical compositions 'Chimeras' and 'X' (i.e., 'Reflections on ''Girls on the Run''' or 'Stanza X from ''Girls on the Run''')
  • Diana Marshall's text / image collage John Ashbery's Girls on the Run / Word Pill Press (Number 5)



Your Name Here, 2000

'This Room':

  • Richard Wilson's musical composition 'Three Songs on Poems by John Ashbery'
  • Ned Rorem's musical composition 'Another Sleep'
  • Caveh Zahedi's film In the Bathtub of the World


'The History of My Life':

  • Richard Wilson's musical composition 'Three Songs on Poems by John Ashbery'


'Life Is a Dream':

  • Marie Chaix's photocollage 'I Know I'll Have a Chance to Learn More Later On'


'Stanzas Before Time':

  • Charles Wuorinen's musical composition 'Stanzas Before Time'



As Umbrellas Follow Rain, 2001

'The Corrupt Text':

  • Star Black's poem '''There Is Only Sun, Sunstrife and Sea'''



Where Shall I Wander, 2005

'Hölderlin Marginalia':

  • Christian Wolff's musical composition 'Hölderlin Marginalia'





updated 8/08


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