A(rchie) R(andolph) Ammons 1926–

American poet.

Because of his poetic adaptation of natural forces, forms, and phenomena in the American landscape, some critics consider Ammons, more so than Whitman, the fulfillment of Emerson's call for an American bard.

Although his first book, Ommateum with Doxology, was a commercial and critical failure, Ammons has since received much favorable recognition, including a National Book Award in 1973 for his Collected Poems: 1951–1971. Harold Bloom has stated that, "No contemporary poet, in America, is likelier to become a classic than A. R. Ammons…."

Remarkably prolific, Ammons has produced three new volumes of poetry (The Snow Poems, A Coast of Trees, and Worldy Hopes) and two collections of selected poems in the past five years.

(See also CLC, Vols. 2, 3, 5, 8, 9; Contemporary Authors, Vols. 9-12, rev. ed.; Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Vol. 6; and Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 5.)