A Poet's Revolution: The Life of Denise LevertovThis first full-length biography of Anglo- American poet and activist Denise Levertov (1923-1997) brings to life one of the major voices of the second half of the twentieth century, when American poetry was a powerful influence worldwide. Drawing on exhaustive archival research and interviews with 75 friends of Levertov, as well as on Levertov’s entire opus, Donna Krolik Hollenberg’s authoritative biography captures the full complexity of Levertov as both woman and artist, and the dynamic world she inhabited. She charts Levertov’s early life in England as the daughter of a Russian Hasidic father and a Welsh mother, her experience as a nurse in London during WWII, her marriage to an American after the war, and her move to New York City where she became a major figure in the American poetry scene. The author chronicles Levertov’s role as a passionate social activist in volatile times and her importance as a teacher of writing. Finally, Hollenberg shows how the spiritual dimension of Levertov’s poetry deepened toward the end of her life, so that her final volumes link lyric perception with political and religious commitment. |
Contents
Beginnings 19231933 | 9 |
Levertovs Response to Nazi | 35 |
Apprenticeship during World War II | 48 |
Abortion Adventure and Marriage 19471948 | 81 |
Coming of Age as a Poet in | 115 |
Levertovs Engagement with Tradition | 145 |
Taking a Postion 19601963 | 166 |
Levertovs Emergence as a Social Poet | 198 |
The Revolution Hits Home 19701974 | 265 |
Beginning Again 19751981 | 295 |
Social Protest and Liberation Theology 19821988 | 325 |
The Recognition of Identity 19891992 | 369 |
Facing Death 19921997 | 407 |
Notes | 445 |
Bibliography | 483 |
Living in the Movement 19661970 | 223 |
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