The publication of his first book of verse, Poems (1961), selected for the Yale Series of Younger Poets, initially was met with mixed critical appraisal. Although Denise Levertov did acknowledge Dugan's ability to express "genuine and strong feelings, perceptions, sufferings," the best comment she made about the work in general was, "It is clever" (Nation, 13 May 1961). Other stern critics such as Peter Davison pointed to the "wordiness and contrivance" of Dugan's work (Atlantic, November 1961). However, notable voices like Philip Booth offered unequivocal praise: "Alan Dugan's poems make up, clearly, the most original first book that has appeared on any publisher's poetry list in a sad long time. Poem by poem, he happily defies critical pigeonholing; he's his own man" (Christian Science Monitor, 27 April 1961). Booth's review signaled an avalanche of critical acclaim. In 1962 Dugan won three major awards for the volume--the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Prix de Rome from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The latter prize took him to Italy for the year 1962-1963 as a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome.
With the success of Poems, Dugan began a career of traveling and writing on grants, reading tours and residencies at various universities.
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