Robert Duncan je autorom prvého románu LOUDMOUTH. Jeho rozsiahla kariéra v rockovej žurnalistike zahŕňala pôsobenie ako šéfredaktor časopisu Creem a prispievanie do popredných publikácií, kde sa ponoril do hĺbky rockovej éry. Duncan tiež založil úspešnú reklamnú a dizajnérsku firmu a jej hudobné vydavateľstvo. Jeho písanie je poznačené zasväteným pohľadom na hudobný svet a občasným humorným nadhľadom.
Duncan stál v čele tzv. Sanfanciské renesance a přednášel literaturu na univerzitách. Publikoval v avantgardních časopisech The Experimental Review a Phoenix. Jeho složitá a vrstevnatá poezie v českém výběru pochází ze sbírek Selected Poems (1959), The Opening of the Field (1961) a Roots and Branches (1965).
Exploring the complexities of American identity, this work delves into the historical context of invasions and the intertwined legacies of European colonization and African enslavement. It reflects on the struggles and dreams of a nation grappling with its past, offering a profound commentary on the socio-political landscape. Through evocative language, the author invites readers to confront the realities of America's history and the ongoing impact of these foundational experiences.
Faust Foutu (Faust Screwed) is a mid-20th-century satire featuring a bourgeois artist grappling with the struggles of his craft. Originally performed by poets and painters in San Francisco in 1955, the work includes the poet's drawings that accompany the text. During the early fifties, painting was at the forefront of artistic innovation, making it fitting for this "screwed" Faust to be a painter. The performance took place at the avant-garde Six Gallery, with a cast of friends, actors, experimental filmmakers, poets, painters, and playwrights. Poet Jack Spicer engaged the audience with a mix of intensity and boyish innocence, while filmmaker Larry Jordan was encouraged to sing Faust's songs loudly and naturally, relying on his untrained voice. Jess Collins, a painter and close friend of Duncan, delivered his lines with clarity and irony. The presentation focused on auditory experience rather than traditional acting, emphasizing the sound of the words. This "comic masque" was first performed in 1955 and published in a small edition in 1960, with the poet's drawings reproduced in this trade edition.