W S Merwin

Conversations with W. S. Merwin - Literary Conversations Series W S Merwin

Brief Description: "Conversations with W. S. Merwin is the first collection of interviews with former United States Poet Laureate W. S. Merwin. Spanning almost six decades of conversations, the collection touches on such topics as Merwin's early influences, his location within the twin poles of Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, his extraordinary work as a translator, as well as his decades-long interest in environmental conservation. Anticipating the current sustainability movement and the debates surrounding major and minor literatures, Merwin was, and still is, a visionary. At age eighty-eight, he is among the most distinguished poets, translators, and thinkers in the United States. A major link between the period of literary modernism and its contemporary extensions, Merwin has been a force in American letters for many decades, and his translations from Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, and other languages, have earned him unanimous praise and admiration. Merwin also wrote at the forefront of literature's environmental advocacy and early on articulated concerns about ecology and sustainability. Now for the first time, this book offers insight into the various dimensions of Merwin's thought by treating his interviews as a self-standing category in his oeuvre. More than casual narratives that interpret the occasional poem or relay an occasional experience, they afford literary and cultural historians a view into the larger through-lines of Merwin's thinking"--Marc Notes: Includes index.; Conversations with W. S. Merwin is the first collection of interviews with former United States Poet Laureate W. S. Merwin. Spanning almost six decades of conversations, the collection touches on such topics as Merwin's early influences, his location within the twin poles of Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, his extraordinary work as a translator, as well as his decades-long interest in environmental conservation. Anticipating the current sustainability movement and the debates surrounding major and minor literatures, Merwin was, and still is, a visionary. At age eighty-eight, he is among the most distinguished poets, translators, and thinkers in the United States. A major link between the period of literary modernism and its contemporary extensions, Merwin has been a force in American letters for many decades, and his translations from Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, and other languages, have earned him unanimous praise and admiration. Merwin also wrote at the forefront of literature's environmental advocacy and early on articulated concerns about ecology and sustainability. Now for the first time, this book offers insight into the various dimensions of Merwin's thought by treating his interviews as a self-standing category in his oeuvre. More than casual narratives that interpret the occasional poem or relay an occasional experience, they afford literary and cultural historians a view into the larger through-lines of Merwin's thinking--; Provided by publisher. Publisher Marketing:"Conversations with W. S. Merwin" is the first collection of interviews with former United States Poet Laureate W. S. Merwin (b. 1927). Spanning almost six decades of conversations, the collection touches on such topics as Merwin's early influences (Robert Graves and Ezra Pound), his location within the twin poles of Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, his extraordinary work as a translator, as well as his decades-long interest in environmental conservation. Anticipating the current sustainability movement and the debates surrounding major and minor literatures, Merwin was, and still is, a visionary. At age eighty-eight, he is among the most distinguished poets, translators, and thinkers in the United States. A major link between the period of literary modernism and its contemporary extensions, Merwin has been a force in American letters for many decades, and his translations from the Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, and other languages, have earned him unanimous praise and admiration. Merwin also wrote at the forefront of literature's environmental advocacy and early on articulated concerns about ecology and sustainability. Now, for the first time, "Conversations with W. S. Merwin" offers insight into the various dimensions of Merwin's thought by treating his interviews as a self-standing category in his oeuvre. More than casual narratives that interpret the occasional poem or relay an occasional experience, they afford literary and cultural historians a view into the larger through-lines of Merwin's thinking.

Contributor Bio:  Merwin, W S W. S. Merwin is the author and translator of more than fifty books. He is a two-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and winner of a National Book Award, a Tanning Prize, a PEN Translation Prize, a Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, and other honors. His most recent books are The Moon before Morning, The Shadow of Sirius, The Book of Fables, and Present Company. Contributor Bio:  Wutz, Michael Michael Wutz, Ogden, Utah, is Rodney H. Brady Distinguished Professor of English at Weber State University, and the editor of "Weber--The Contemporary West". Contributor Bio:  Crimmel, Hal Hal Crimmel, Salt Lake City, Utah, is Rodney H. Brady Distinguished Professor of English at Weber State University, and founding cochair of WSU's Environmental Issues Committee.