On Poetry, Culture, and Democracy - by Robert Pinsky (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Robert Pinsky belongs to that rarest category of talents, a poet-critic."--Robert Lowell

Two important books of criticism by the Pulitzer Prize finalist and former U.S. poet laureate--now combined in a single volume with a new preface by the author

This book brings together two compelling works of criticism by Robert Pinsky--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. Poetry's place in the world may seem small, but its individual, human scale as a fundamentally vocal medium--in which poems are brought to life by one person at a time--gives poetry a unique importance in American and democratic culture and society.

About the Author

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 Books of Poems (Princeton) 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.