May Swenson

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May Swenson Criticism

May Swenson, an influential American poet born in Logan, Utah, and educated at Utah State University, has left an indelible mark on the landscape of American poetry. Her debut collection, Another Animal (1954), announced her emerging talent, as John Berryman noted, marking the beginning of a prolific career that included works like A Cage of Spines (1958). Nat Hentoff praised this collection for its perceptive song-like qualities. Swenson's poetry, renowned for its vivid observations of nature and human behavior, is characterized by playful experimentation with language, metaphor, and sound, drawing comparisons to Marianne Moore and e e cummings. Critics such as Sven Birkerts have appreciated her technical prowess, noting her progression from external to introspective themes throughout her career.

Contents

  • Principal Works
  • Swenson, May (Vol. 106)
    • The Long Way to MacDiarmid
    • A Cage of Spines
    • May Swenson
    • Rhyme and Reason: Reading Poetry for Pleasure
    • May Swenson
    • May Swenson, a Humorous Poet of Cerebral Verse, Is Dead at 76
    • Important Witness to the World
    • Poetic Voices
    • May Swenson: A Memorial Tribute
    • 'Turned Back to the Wild by Love'
    • The Love Poems of May Swenson
    • A review of The Love Poems of May Swenson
    • The Complete Poems to Solve
    • A Mysterious and Lavish Power: How Things Continue to Take Place in the Work of May Swenson
    • Life's Miracles: The Poetry of May Swenson
    • A review of May Out West and Nature: Old and New
  • Swenson, May (Vol. 14)
    • A Five-Book Shelf
    • May Swenson and the Shapes of Speculation
    • All Things Bright and Beautiful
    • With Head and Heart
    • Poems with Polish
    • May Swenson's 'New and Selected Things Taking Place'
    • Swenson's 'Snow in New York'
  • Swenson, May (Vol. 4)
  • Swenson, May
    • The Long Way to MacDiarmid
    • Spines and Other Worlds
    • Has Anyone Seen a Trend?
    • A Cage of Spines
    • To Mix with Time
    • Underestimations
    • May Swenson
    • The Experience of Poetry in a Scientific Age
    • New Poetry: The Generation of the Twenties
    • May Swenson: The Art of Perceiving
    • Iconodule and Iconoclast
    • May Swenson and the Shapes of Speculation
    • Owls, Monkeys and Spiders in Space
    • A review of The Love Poems of May Swenson
    • A Mysterious and Lavish Power: How Things Continue to Take Place in the Work of May Swenson
    • Poetry in Review
  • Further Reading