Five Contemporary Poets
By
Peter Stitt
From the extraordinary diversity of
contemporary American poetry, Peter
Stitt, the distinguished critic and
editor of the
Gettysburg Review,
has
chosen in this book to write about five
poets only, all premier practitioners–
John Ashbery, Stephen Dobyns,
Charles Simic, Gerald Stern, and
Charles Wright, with a special look at
Stanley Kunitz in relation to Wright.
The author states, "I chose these
particular writers because their work
continues to interest me deeply, both
intellectually and formally, even after
years of familiarity:' His confident and
inventive assessments of these fine
poets' work help us gain some focus
on the "uncertainty and plenitude"
of the current poetry scene, demon–
strating that concentrated and
knowledgeable criticism can show
us ways to begin measuring the
accomplishments of our poetic age.
224 pages, $27.95 cloth
Available at bookstores everywhere
•
Iowa
University of Iowa Press
Iowa City, Iowa 52242- 1000
800-235-2665
- uipress
