For Robert Pinsky, poetry鈥檚 individual, human scale as a fundamentally vocal medium鈥攚ith poems brought to life by one person at a time鈥攇ives poetry a unique importance in American and democratic culture and society. This book brings together two compelling works of criticism by the former poet laureate鈥�The Situation of Poetry and Democracy, Culture and the Voice of Poetry, in which he makes a passionate and eloquent case for the vital role of poetry in a democracy.
Robert Pinsky is an award-winning American poet, essayist, and translator. He has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for poetry and the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. He served for three terms as the U.S. Poet Laureate, during which time he founded the Favorite Poem Project. His many books include Robert Pinsky: The First Two 快色直播 of Poems (快色直播) and the memoir Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet. His bestselling translation of Dante’s Inferno won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Among his other awards and honors are the William Carlos Williams Award, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the PEN/Voelcker Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the PEN American Center, and the Harold Washington Award from the City of Chicago. He is distinguished professor emeritus of English and creative writing at Boston University.
Praise for Democracy, Culture and the Voice of Poetry:“An engaging analysis of the way the intimate rhythms of American poetry invoke a social presence.”—Natalya Sukhonos, New York Times Book Review“Pinsky is, by turns, whimsical and profound.”—Carol Muske-Dukes, Los Angeles Times Book Review“This is perhaps the most important discourse on cultural analysis by a major poet since Eliot’s Notes Towards the Definition of Culture.”—Orlando Patterson, Harvard University
Praise for The Situation of Poetry“No one can read Pinsky’s writing without being provoked to thought.”—Helen Vendler, The Nation"The mind at work in The Situation of Poetry is lively, fresh, and critical without being obsessed by the rigor of criticism.”—Denis Donoghue, New York Times Book Review“A first-rate piece of work. I can’t imagine anyone capable of reading this book and not learning from it.”—Hugh Kenner
