Best American Poems of The Twentieth Century
For this book in the series, Lehman, the general editor "invited his 14 past and present guest editors to list their choices for 15 best poems of the century. Most did, but Adrienne Rich refused flat out, and Louise Glück wrote a thoughtful letter, also declining. It said, in part: 'There can't be, I think, the best of the great ... What remains is preference.'"
From the responses Lehman got, he drew up a composite list of 32 poets whose work was nominated by at least two guest editors. In alphabetical order:
|
|
|
|
Read more about this topic: The Best American Poetry 2000
Famous quotes containing the words twentieth century, american, poems, twentieth and/or century:
“If the twentieth century is to be better than the nineteenth, it will be because there are among us men who walk in Priestley’s footsteps....To all eternity, the sum of truth and right will have been increased by their means; to all eternity, falsehoods and injustice will be the weaker because they have lived.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
“Were they to emigrate in a body to man the navies of the moon, almost every thing would stop here on earth except its revolution on its axis, and the orators in the American Congress.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“Our poems will have failed if our readers are not brought by them beyond the poems.”
—Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980)
“The phenomenon of nature is more splendid than the daily events of nature, certainly, so then the twentieth century is splendid.”
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)
“To turn away a guest is poorest poverty;
To bear with fools is mightiest might.”
—Tiruvalluvar (c. 5th century A.D.)