Levertov, Denise (Vol. 15) - Introduction

Levertov, Denise 1923–

A poet, editor, and translator, Levertov was born in England and has been an American citizen since 1955. Throughout her career as a poet, Levertov has been influenced by the main currents of modern poetry through her contacts with other contemporary poets. Her early poetry drew the attention of Kenneth Rexroth, among others, and was compared by Rexroth to the early poetry of Rilke. In the United States Levertov became acquainted with Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, and other proponents of the Black Mountain school of poetry. Under their influence she formed a concern for capturing the "authentic experience" in verse. Under the influence of William Carlos Williams, the severely disciplined form of Levertov's early verse expanded to embrace the looser verse form characteristic of her later poetry. She has matured into a major contemporary poet whose unique poetry is characterized by depth of feeling and polished diction. (See also CLC, Vols. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and Contemporary Authors, Vols. 1-4, rev. ed.)