Collected Later Poems

More about the book

In his eightieth year, Anthony Hecht stands alongside esteemed poets like W. H. Auden and Robert Frost. This collection features his three most recent works—The Transparent Man, Flight Among the Tombs, and The Darkness and the Light—serving as a perfect companion to his Collected Earlier Poems, which has been continuously in print since 1990. Hecht’s poetry captures a wide array of human experiences, from a young woman's battle with leukemia to the intricate love stories in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and even explores Death as a Hollywood director and Marcel Proust as a figure skater. His writing reflects a confident glide through tentative passages, marked by a thoughtful, long-drawn style that skillfully balances clarity and complexity. Hecht’s verses are incised with precision, expressing a glancing happiness with arms wide open or hands firmly gripped behind his back. Hecht has authored seven poetry collections, including The Hard Hours, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1968. His contributions extend to essays and criticism, notably a study of W. H. Auden's poetry titled The Hidden Law. His accolades include the Bollingen Prize in Poetry, the Eugenio Montale Award, the Wallace Stevens Award, and the Robert Frost Medal. He is a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.