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…
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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 22 November 2024.]
