W. S. Merwin’s reputation as a poet was established early (his first book of poetry was selected by W. H. Auden for the Yale Younger Poets Series when he was twenty-four), and sustained by numerous volumes of poetry appearing first from Atheneum publishers and then Alfred A. Knopf (two of the most prestigious New York houses), and then amplified by a variety of writings that, in recent years, have included the satirical prose poem, the family memoir, and the travel essay. Moreover, throughout a publishing career spanning more than a half-century, he has consistently won admiration for translations that include significant cultural epics (The Song of Roland, The Poem of the Cid, the “Purgatorio” of The Divine Comedy, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight), as well as twentieth century writings by Pablo Neruda, Antonio...
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Citation: Brunner, Edward. "W. S. Merwin". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 April 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3094, accessed 09 June 2026.]
