Lives of the Poets

National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist In this stunning volume of epic breadth, Michael Schmidt connects the lives and works of more than 300 poets over the last 700 years--spanning distant shores from Scotland to Australia to the Caribbean, all sharing the English language. Schmidt reveals how each poet has transformed "a common language of poetry" into the rustic rhythms and elegiac ballads, love sonnets, and experimental postmodern verse that make up our lyrical canon. A comprehensive guided tour that is lively and always accessible,Lives of the Poetsilluminates our most transcendent literary tradition.

Michael Schmidt is the founder and editor of <b>PN Review</b>, and the founder and editorial director of Carcanet Press. He is the director of the writing school at Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, England.