Best of the Best American Poetry: 25th Anniversary Edition [Paperback]

Robert Pinsky, distinguished poet and man of letters, selects the top 100 poems from twenty-five years ofThe Best American Poetry

This special edition celebrates twenty-five years of theBest American Poetryseries, which has become an institution. From its inception in 1988, it has been hotly debated, keenly monitored, ardently advocated (or denounced), and obsessively scrutinized. Each volume consists of seventy-five poems chosen by a major American poet acting as guest editor—from John Ashbery in 1988 to Mark Doty in 2012, with stops along the way for such poets as Charles Simic, A. R. Ammons, Louise Glück, Adrienne Rich, Billy Collins, Heather McHugh, and Kevin Young. Out of the 1,875 poems that have appeared inThe Best American Poetry, here are 100 that Robert Pinsky, the distinguished poet and man of letters, has chosen for this milestone edition.David Lehman, the series editor of The Best American Poetry, is also the editor of the Oxford Book of American Poetry. His books of poetry include Poems in the Manner Of, New and Selected Poems, Yeshiva Boys, When a Woman Loves a Man, and The Daily Mirror.He lives in New York City and Ithaca, New York.

Robert Pinskywas the nation’s Poet Laureate from 1997 to 2000. An acclaimed poet and scholar of poetry, he is also an internationally renowned man of letters. HisSelected Poemswas published in paperback in March 2012. His other books includeThe Sounds of Poetry: A Brief Guideand his bestselling translationThe Inferno of Dante, which wonthe Los Angeles TimesBook Award. He teaches at Boston University and is the poetry editor atSlate.The Best of the Best American Poetry

INTRODUCTION

The Centrality of Poetry