Introduction by Donald Hall
James Wright is one of the most significant, most enduring figures in modern American poetry, the central figure of a greatly talented generation. Whether he was writing about his native Ohio, the natural world, love lost and f found, or the luminous resonant Italy of his later work, Wright’s mastery of language and his powerful, haunting voice marked him out as one of the finest writers of his time, a poet whose work caught the spirit of America’s anxious yet hopeful post-war years.
James Wright was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio, in 1927. His Collected Poems won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for poetry. He died in 1980. Above the River: The Complete Poems was first published a decade later in 1980.
‘Wright's complete poems brings together nearly four hundred pages of strongly carved words, the lifework of a much-admired, imitated, and lamented American poet, one of the most clearly recognisable voices of his generation.’ – William Pratt, World Literature Today
‘What makes him great is his constant openheartedness: he is not self-absorbed. His work explores a full range of feeling; he found much to celebrate and praise as well as to lament; he affirmed the good in life however limited.’ – Karen Whitehall, Virginia Quarterly Review
‘Lucidity, precision, rhythmical poise, sentiment, intelligence and the rigors of a conscious craft that liberated the imagination – these were the poetic values James Wright cherished, and they remain the keynotes of Above the River, a splendid new edition of his work… His best poems, with their grace and intelligence, remain among the finest examples of the midcentury American lyric.’ – J.D. McClatchy, New York Times Book Review
‘James Wright wasn't afraid to find out who he really was, no matter how frightening that self may have been. This is the essence of the pure, clear voice we encounter in his poems, and this is why James Wright endures.’ – Samuel Maio, Bloomsbury Review
Amazon.co.uk are currently asking for £46.50 for second-hand copies of this book, and £755 for new copies. Originally published at £9.95 in 1992, we have a number of spare archive copies of the original printing which we are offering for £20.
