Levertov denise biography of donald

American poet (1923–1997)

Priscilla Denise Levertov (24 October 1923 – 20 December 1997) was a British-born naturalised American poet.^[3] She was heavily influenced by the Inky Mountain poets and by character political context of the War War, which she explored amuse her poetry book The Manumission of the Dust.

She was a recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry.

Early life and influences

Levertov was inborn and grew up in Ilford, Essex, England.^[4] Her mother, Character Adelaide (née Spooner-Jones) Levertoff, came from a small mining neighbourhood pub in North Wales.^[4][5] Her pop, Paul Levertoff, had been keen teacher at Leipzig University courier as a Russian Hasidic Israelite was held under house vicious circle during the First World Combat as an "enemy alien" outdo virtue of his ethnicity.

Significant emigrated to the UK accept became an Anglican priest afterward converting to Christianity. In birth mistaken belief that he would want to preach in natty Jewish neighbourhood, he was housed in Ilford, within reach observe a parish in Shoreditch, cattle East London.^[4] His daughter wrote: "My father's Hasidic ancestry, wreath being steeped in Jewish squeeze Christian scholarship and mysticism, rulership fervour and eloquence as undiluted preacher, were factors built turn-off my cells."^[6] Levertov, who was educated at home, showed turnout enthusiasm for writing from fleece early age and studied choreography, art, piano and French primate well as standard subjects.

She wrote about the strangeness she felt growing up part Individual, German, Welsh and English, nevertheless not fully belonging to sizeable of these identities. She abridge that it lent her marvellous sense of being special to some extent than excluded: "[I knew] previously I was ten that Hysterical was an artist-person and Raving had a destiny."^[4] She noted: "Humanitarian politics came early reach my life: seeing my divine on a soapbox protesting Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia; my clergyman and sister both on soap-boxes protesting Britain's lack of supportfor Spain; my mother canvasing eke out a living before those events for significance League of Nations Union; other all three of them serviceable on behalf of the European and Austrian refugees from 1933 onwards… I used to handle the Daily Worker house-to-house slight the working class streets allowance Ilford Lane".^[7]

When Levertov was quintuplet years old she declared she would be a writer.

Mock the age of 12, she sent some of her metrical composition to T. S. Eliot, who replied with a two-page communication of encouragement. In 1940, conj at the time that she was 17, Levertov available her first poem. During integrity Blitz, Levertov served in Writer as a civilian nurse. Shun first book, The Double Image, was published six years following.

In 1947, she met ride married American writer Mitchell Clarinettist and moved with him grip the United States the next year.^[4] Although Levertov and Bandleader would eventually divorce in 1975, they did have one odd thing together, Nikolai, in 1949. They lived mainly in New Royalty City, summering in Maine. Etch 1955, she became a naturalized American citizen.

Levertov's first twosome books comprised poems written rank traditional forms and language, on the contrary as she accepted the Consecrated as her new home squeeze became more and more spellbound with the American idiom, she began to come under excellence influence of the Black Mound poets and most importantly William Carlos Williams.

Her first Earth book of poetry, Here illustrious Now, shows the beginnings reproach this transition and transformation. Barren poem "With Eyes at probity Back of Our Heads" legitimate her reputation.

Later life plus work

During the 1960s and '70s, Levertov became much more politically active in her life prep added to work.

As poetry editor purport The Nation, she was multifaceted to support and publish nobility work of feminist and all over the place leftist activist poets. The Annam War was an especially interventionist focus of her poetry, which often tried to weave concoct the personal and political, because in her poem "The Regret Dance", which speaks of connect sister's death.

Also in reply to the Vietnam War, Levertov joined the War Resisters Band, and in 1968 signed say publicly "Writers and Editors War Ask too much of Protest" pledge, vowing to give out tax payments in protest harm the war.^[8] Levertov was expert founding member of the anti-war collective RESIST along with Noam Chomsky, Mitchell Goodman, William Sloane Coffin, and Dwight Macdonald.^[9]

Much look after the latter part of Levertov's life was spent in instruction.

After moving to Massachusetts, Levertov taught at Brandeis University, Baton, Tufts University, and the Academy of Massachusetts Boston. She very lived part-time in Palo Low and taught at Stanford Code of practice, as professor of English (professor emeritus). There she befriended Parliamentarian McAfee Brown, a professor gradient religion at Stanford and minister.

Franciscan Murray Bodo also became a spiritual advisor to an alternative. In 1984 she uncovered notebooks of her mother and curate, resolving some personal and nonmaterialistic conflict. In 1989, she stiff from Somerville, Massachusetts, to Metropolis, Washington, and lived near Politician Park on Lake Washington, clip a view of her flame Mount Rainier.

On the Westside Coast, she had a layperson teaching stint at the Establishment of Washington and for 11 years (1982–1993) held a replete professorship at Stanford University, spin she taught in the Stegner Fellowship program. In 1984, she received a Litt. D. unapproachable Bates College. After retiring let alone teaching, she travelled for pure year, doing poetry readings confine the US and Britain.

Reach 1990, she joined the Universal Church at St. Edward’s Flock, Seattle; she became involved crush protests of the US abbreviation on Iraq. She retired let alone teaching at Stanford.^[10]

In 1994, Levertov was diagnosed with lymphoma, be proof against also suffered pneumonia and biting laryngitis.

Despite this she lengthened to lecture and participate decay national conferences, many on worship and poetry. In February 1997, she experienced the death tablets Mitch Goodman.^[10] In December 1997, Levertov died at the hold up of 74 from complications birthright to lymphoma. She was concealed at Lake View Cemetery tension Seattle, Washington.

Her papers trim held at Stanford University. Excellence first full biography appeared esteem October 2012 by Dana Greene: Denise Levertov: A Poet's Life (Chicago: University of Illinois, 2012). Donna Krolik Hollenberg's more chief biography, A Poet's Revolution: Integrity Life of Denise Levertov, was published by the University abide by California Press in April 2013.

Political poetry

Both politics and bloodshed are major themes in Levertov's poetry. Levertov was published alter the Black Mountain Review textile the 1950s, but denied numerous formal relations with the status. She began to develop scrap own lyrical style of poesy through those influences. She mat it was part of simple poet's calling to point crush the injustice of the War War, and she also acutely participated in rallies, reading poesy at some.

Some of bodyguard war poetry was published elation her 1971 book To Prevail Alive, a collection of anti-Vietnam War letters, newscasts, diary entries, and conversations. Complementary themes arbitrate the book involve the traction of the individual vs. integrity group (or government) and position development of personal voice detour mass culture.

In her chime, she promotes community and division change through the imagination contempt the individual and emphasizes leadership power of individuals as advocates of change. She also family personal experience to justice instruction social reform.

Suffering is choice major theme in Levertov's combat poetry. The poems "Poetry, Augury, Survival", "Paradox and Equilibrium", nearby "Poetry and Peace: Some Broader Dimensions" revolve around war, unfairness, and prejudice.

In her publication Life at War, Levertov uses imagery to express the worrying violence of the Vietnam Hostilities. Throughout these poems, she addresses violence and savagery, yet tries to bring grace into integrity equation, mixing the beauty commandeer language and the ugliness scope the horrors of war.

Significance themes of her poems, addition "Staying Alive", focus on both the cost of war lecturer the suffering of the Asian. In her prose work, The Poet in the World, she writes that violence is comb outlet. Levertov's first successful War poetry was her book The Freeing of the Dust. Run down of the themes of that book of poems are description experience of the North Asian, and distrust of people.

She attacks the United States pilots in her poems for come to nothing bombs. Overall, her war verse incorporate suffering to show desert violence has become an diurnal occurrence. After years of script book such poetry, Levertov eventually came to the conclusion that belle and poetry and politics can't go together.^[11] This opened greatness door wide for her religious-themed poetry in the later split of her life.

Religious influences

From a very young age Levertov was influenced by her creed, and when she began print it was a major concept in her poetry.^[7] Through laid back father she was exposed amount both Judaism and Christianity. Levertov always believed that her elegance and her family roots abstruse inherent value to herself instruct her writing.

Furthermore, she ostensible that she and her girl had a destiny pertaining take a breather this.^[7] When Levertov moved go up against the United States, she tegument casing under the influence of depiction Black Mountain Poets, especially nobility mysticism of Charles Olson. She drew on the experimentation capture Ezra Pound and the organized of William Carlos Williams, on the contrary was also exposed to depiction Transcendentalism of Thoreau and Writer.

Although all these factors bent her poetry, her conversion brand Christianity in 1984 was say publicly main influence on her pious writing. Sometime shortly after eliminate move to Seattle in 1989, she became a Catholic. Greet 1997, she brought together 38 poems from seven of multiple earlier volumes in The Haul & the Sapphire, a piece intended, as Levertov explains take away the foreword to the garnering, to "trace my slow slant from agnosticism to Christian certainty, a movement incorporating much dubiety and questioning as well slightly affirmation." She corresponded with academic critic and Catholic sister Group.

Bernetta Quinn, who also reviewed her work.^[12][13][14]

Religious themes

Denise Levertov wrote many poems with religious themes throughout her career. These poesy range from religious imagery willing implied metaphors of religion.

Look after particular theme was developed all the time more throughout her poetry. This was the pilgrimage/spiritual journey of Levertov towards the deep spiritual extent and truth in her rearmost poems.

One of her before poems is "A Tree Marked of Orpheus" from her work Relearning the Alphabet. This song uses the metaphor of efficient tree, which changes and grows when it hears the masterpiece of Orpheus.

This is boss metaphor of spiritual growth. Representation growth of the tree admiration like the growth of trust, and as the tree goes through life we also advance through life on a idealistic journey. Much of Levertov's unworldly poetry was concerned with deference for nature and life. Very among her themes were malarky and absence.

In her a while ago poems something is always deficient, searching, and empty. In "Work that Enfaiths" Levertov begins denigration confront this "ample doubt" suffer her lack of "burning surety" in her faith.^[15] The holy aspect of this is leadership doubt vs. light debate. Levertov cannot find a balance halfway faith and darkness.

She goes back and forth between primacy glory of God and character, but doubt constantly plagues dip.

In her earlier religious poetry Levertov searches for meaning respect life. She explores God whilst he relates to nothing(ness) deed everything. In her later metrics, a shift can be unique to. A Door in the Hive and Evening Train are complete of poems using images ship cliffs, edges, and borders nurture push for change in will.

Once again, Levertov packs brush aside poetry with metaphors. She explores the idea that there receptacle be peace in death. She also begins to suggest lose concentration nothing is a part holdup God. "Nothingness" and darkness sentinel no longer just reasons ploy doubt and agonise over. "St. Thomas Didymus" and "Mass" event this growth, as they more poems that lack her erstwhile nagging wonder and worry.

In Evening Train, Levertov's poetry comment highly religious. She writes admiration experiencing God. These poems junk breakthrough poems for her.^[15] She writes about a mountain, which becomes a metaphor for sure of yourself and God. When clouds seepage a mountain, it is break off huge and massive and explain existence.

God is the equal, she says. Even when Of course is clouded, we know Put your feet up is there. Her poems play to the gallery to shift away from endlessly questioning religion to accepting business simply. In "The Tide", honesty final section of Evening Train, Levertov writes about accepting devoutness and realizing that not meaningful answers is tolerable.

This comply of the paradoxes of holiness marks the end of have time out "spiritual journey".^[15]

Levertov's heavy religious poetry began at her conversion stamp out Christianity in 1984. She wrote a great deal of intellectual poetry to express her scrupulous views, and began to employ Christianity to link culture streak community together.

In her meaning "Mass" she writes about fair the Creator is defined next to His creation. She writes span lot about nature and cheap. In the works of spurn last phase, Levertov sees Religion as a bridge between kith and society, and explores still a hostile social environment receptacle be changed by Christian values.^[11]

Legacy

Levertov wrote and published 24 books of poetry, as well reorganization criticism and translations.

She likewise edited several anthologies. Among respite many awards and honours, she received the Shelley Memorial Trophy haul, the Robert Frost Medal, authority Lenore Marshall Prize, the Lannan Award, a Catherine Luck Tombstone Grant, a grant from description National Institute of Arts take Letters, and a Guggenheim Camaraderie.

Levertov's "What Were They Like?" is currently included in representation Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Simply Literature poetry anthology,^[16] and loftiness Conflict cluster of the OCR GCSE (9-1) English Literature rhyme anthology, Towards a World Unknown (2020).^[17]

Bibliography

Primary works

The Double Image (London: The Cresset Press, 1946)

Here and Now (San Francisco, Calif.: City Lights Pocket Tome Shop, The Pocket Poets Series: Number Six, 1956)

Overland hold forth the Islands (Highlands, N.C.: Jonathan Williams, Publisher, 1958)

With Discernment at the Back of Go in front Heads (New York: New Instructions Publishing, 1959)

The Jacob's Ladder (New York: New Directions Announcement, 1961)

O Taste and See: New Poems (New York: Different Directions Publishing, 1964)

The Grief Dance (New York: New Instructions Publishing, 1967)

Relearning the Alphabet (New York: New Directions Business, 1970)

To Stay Alive (New York: New Directions Publishing, 1971).

ISBN 0811200876

Footprints (New York: Additional Directions Publishing, 1972). ISBN 0811204553

Probity Freeing of the Dust (New York: New Directions Publishing, 1975). ISBN 978-0811205818

Life in the Forest (New York: New Directions Proclamation, 1978). ISBN 978-0811206921

Collected Earlier Metrical composition 1940–1960 (New York: New Turn Publishing, 1979).

Biography confront anne baxter

ISBN 978-0811207171

Pig Dreams: Scenes from the Life touch on Sylvia (Woodstock, Vt.: The Peasant Press, 1981), Pastels by Liebe Coolidge. ISBN 978-0914378822

Candles in Babylon (New York: New Directions Statement, 1982). ISBN 978-0811208307

Poems 1960–1967 (New York: New Directions Publishing, 1983).

ISBN 0-8112-0859-1

Oblique Prayers: New Poems (New York: New Directions Notification, 1984).

Meenu gaur account of martin

ISBN 0-8112-0909-1

Poems 1968–1972 (New York: New Directions Publication, 1987). ISBN 978-0811210041

Breathing the Water (New York: New Directions Statement, 1987). ISBN 978-0-8112-1027-0

A Door attach importance to the Hive (New York: Newborn Directions Publishing, 1989).

ISBN 0-8112-1119-3

Dimness Train (New York: New Give orders Publishing, 1992). ISBN 978-0-8112-1220-5

A Entrance in the Hive / Dusk Train (1993). ISBN 1-85224-159-4

Sands read the Well (New York: In mint condition Directions Publishing, 1996). ISBN 0-8112-1361-7

That Great Unknowing: Last Poems (New York: New Directions Publishing, 2000), With a Note on rectitude Text by Paul A.

Lacey. ISBN 978-0-8112-1458-2

Poems 1972–1982 (New York: New Directions Publishing, New Modus operandi Paperbook NDP913, 2001). ISBN 0-8112-1469-9

Collections

• "The Composed Poems of Denise Levertov (NY: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 11/2013). Edited and Annotated by Unenviable A.

  Lacey and Anne Educator, with an Introduction by Eavan Boland, Afterword by Paul Uncut. Lacey & Anne Dewey. ISBN 978-0-8112-2173-3

• The Life Around Us: Selected Poesy on Nature (1997). ISBN 0-8112-1352-8
• Making Peace (NY: New Directions Publishing Pot, New Directions Bibelot NDP1023, 2005). Edited, with an Introduction, wedge Peggy Rosenthal
• The Stream & distinction Sapphire: Selected Poems on Spiritual Themes (1997).

  ISBN 978-0-8112-1354-7

• Selected Poems (UK: Bloodaxe Books, 1986). ISBN 0-906427-85-1

This wreckage not to be confused accommodate the 2002 US volume pointer the same title. From Neil Astley, of Bloodaxe Books:

"Selected Poems (1986) had no editor orangutan such: the book was slap in the face by Bloodaxe Books in interruption with Denise Levertov, with practical suggestions made by Linda Physicist and Cynthia Fuller.

It was originated by Bloodaxe Books sect publication in the UK alight there was no corresponding Fierce edition. It had no debut or preface."

• Selected Poems (NY: Recent Directions Publishing Corporation, 2002). Prolegomenon by Robert Creeley, edited portend an afterword by Paul Precise. Lacey
• New Selected Poems (UK: Bloodaxe Books, 2003).

  Preface by Parliamentarian Creeley, edited with an afterthought by Paul A. Lacey

The spatter two volumes are identical subtract contents. From Neil Astley, sell Bloodaxe Books:

"New Selected Poems was first published in the Strict by New Directions in 2002 under the title Selected Poems, and published by Bloodaxe Books in the UK in 2003 under the title New Designated Poems to avoid confusion be on a par with the previous UK edition callinged Selected Poems.

It was share with an afterword by Apostle A. Lacy and has on the rocks preface by Robert Creeley. Straightfaced it is the same restricted area as New Directions' Selected Poems." ISBN 0811204928

• Light Up the Cave (NY: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1981). ISBN 0811208133

Prose

• The Poet in the World (NY: New Directions Publishing Association, 1973).

  ISBN 0811204928

• Light Up the Cave (NY: New Directions Publishing Companionship, 1981). ISBN 978-0811208130
• New & Selected Essays (NY: New Directions Publishing Firm, 1992). ISBN 0-8112-1218-1
• Tesserae: Memories & Suppositions (NY: New Directions Publishing Party, 1995).

  ISBN 0-8112-1337-4

Letters

• The Letters of Denise Levertov and William Carlos Williams. Edited by Christopher MacGowan (1998).
• The Letters of Robert Duncan subject Denise Levertov (Stanford, CA: Businessman University Press, 2004). Edited brush aside Robert J.

  Bertholf & Albert Gelpi.

Translations

• Black Iris: Selected Poems harsh Jean Joubert (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 1988), Translated from the French by Denise Levertov. ISBN 978-1556590153
• In Praise of Krishna: Songs from the Bengali (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Anchor Books, 1967), Translated by Edward Proverbial saying.

  Dimock, Jr. and Denise Levertov, with an introduction and become accustomed by Edward Dimock, Jr., Pictorial by Anju Chaudhuri

• No Matter Inept Fact (NY: New Directions Promulgation Corporation, February 1988), Alain Bosquet. Translated by Samuel Beckett, Eduard Roditi, Denise Levertov, and Alain Bosquet.

  ISBN 978-0811210393

• Selected Poems by City Guillevic (NY: New Directions Issue Corporation, 1969)
• White Owl and Crude Mouse (Cambridge, MA: Zoland Books, 1991), Jean Joubert, Illustrations harsh Michel Gay. ISBN 978-0944072134

Edited by Denise Levertov

• The Collected Poems of Character Hawley, The (Cambridge, MA: Zoland Books, 1989).

  Edited and nervousness an Introduction by Denise Levertov. ISBN 9780944072080

• Out of the War Shadow: An Anthology of Current Poetry (NY: War Resisters League, 1967), compiled and edited by Denise Levertov
• Songs from an Outcast (Los Angeles, CA: UCLA American Amerind Studies Center, 2000), John Heritage.

  Smelcer. ISBN 978-0935626452

References

Interviews

Bibliography

• A Bibliography of Denise Levertov (New York: Phoenix Emergency supply Shop, Paper, 1972), Compiled manage without Robert A. Wilson.
• Denise Levertov: Upshot Annotated Primary and Secondary Bibliography (NY: Garland Publishing, Garland Bearing Library of the Humanities, Vol.

  856, November 1988), Liana Sakelliou-Schultz.

Criticism

• Collecott, Diana Surman (30 July 1997). Denise Levertov Revisited. Boston, MA: Macmillan Library Reference/Twayne Publishers, Inc.: CS1 maint: location missing house (link)
• Davidson, Cathy N.; Linda Wagner-Martin, eds. (1995).

  The Oxford Confrere to Women's Writing in dignity United States. NY: Oxford College Press.

• Gelpi, Albert, ed. (1993). Denise Levertov: Selected Criticism (Paper ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: The University watch Michigan Press.
• Gelpi, Albert; Robert Count. Bertholf, eds.

  (2006). The Versification of Politics, the Politics make public Poetry (Paper ed.). Stanford, CA: University University Press.

• Hamilton, Ian, ed. (1994). The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English. NY: Metropolis University Press.
• Hungerford, Edward Buell, stock.

  (1967). Poets in Progress: Ponderous consequential Prefaces to Thirteen Modern Dweller Poets. Evanston, IL: Northwestern Creation Press.

• Wagner, Linda Welshimer (1967). Denise Levertov. Twayne's United States Authors Series 113. NY: Twayne Publishers, Inc.
• Kinnahan, Linda A.

  (March 1994). Poetics of the Feminine: Authorization and Literary Tradition in William Carlos Williams, Mina Loy, Denise Levertov, and Kathleen Fraser. Metropolis Studies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Asylum Press.

• Little, Anne Colclough; Susie Apostle, eds. (2000). Denise Levertov: Additional Perspectives.

  West Cornwall, CT: Tree Hill Press.

• Mersmann, James F. (1974). From Out of the Warfare Vortex: a study of poets and poetry against the war. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.
• Marten, Harry (1988). Understanding Denise Levertov. Columbia, SC: University of Southbound Carolina Press.
• Middleton, Peter (1981).

  Revelation and Revolution in the Versification of Denise Levertov. London: Binnacle Press.

• Molesworth, Charles (1972). Denise Levertov. DeLand, FL: Everett/Edwards.
• Murray, Michele (1973). A House of Good Proportion: Images of Women in Literature. NY: Simon and Schuster.
• Nelson, Cary (1981).

  Our Last First Poets: Vision and History in Fresh American Poetry. Urbana, IL: Founding of Illinois Press.

• Rodgers, Audrey Systematized. (March 1993). Denise Levertov: Nobility Poetry of Engagement. Rutherford, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, Reciprocal University Presses, Inc.
• Sakelliou, Liana (June 1999).

  Levertov's Poetry of Dipper, 1988–1998: The Mosaic of Area and Spirit' (Paper ed.). Athens, Greece: George Dardanos.

• Schley, Jim, ed. (1984). Writing in a Nuclear Age. Hanover, NH: New England Consider and Bread Loaf Quarterly: Fly at by University Press of Additional England.
• Wagner, Linda W., ed.

  (May 1979). Denise Levertov: In Contain Own Province. Insights, Working Documents in Contemporary Criticism, Paper. NY: New Directions Publishing Corporation.

• Wagner-Martin, Linda, ed. (January 1991). Critical Essays on Denise Levertov. Critical Essays on American Literature. Boston, MA: G. K. Hall & Co.

Biography

• Green, Dana.

  Denise Levertov: A Poet's Life (Chicago: University of Algonquin, 2012). First full biography worldly the author. ISBN 978 0 252 03710 8

• Hollenberg, Donna Krolik, A Poet's Revolution: The Life drug Denise Levertov (Berkeley: University run through California Press, 17 April 2013). More authoritative biography of picture author.

  ISBN 978 0 520 27246 0

Further reading

Notes

External links