Pound, Ezra (Vol. 18) | Introduction
Pound, Ezra 1885–1972
An American poet, translator, essayist, and critic, Pound is "the principal inventor of modern poetry," according to Archibald MacLeish. Pound's masterpiece, Cantos, was constantly revised and added to during the more than forty years of its construction. Literary allusions, foreign phrases and forms abound in this volume, which T. S. Eliot called "an inexhaustible reference book of verse form." Pound is important both for his own poetry and for his support of other artists. He was a secretary to Yeats, playing an important part in transforming that great poet's artistic vision during his last period. He is responsible for editing The Waste Land into the form that won Eliot worldwide acclaim, and his tenacious support of Joyce during a period of financial distress allowed the novelist to finish Ulysses. Pound's pro-Fascist statements during World War II led to his indictment for treason and for a time diminished the reputation of one of the most innovative and creative artists of the twentieth century. (See also CLC, Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 13, and Contemporary Authors, Vols. 5-8, rev. ed.; obituary, Vols. 37-40, rev. ed.)
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