James Merrill, W.S. Merwin, A.R. Ammons, John Ashbery, and James Wright Summary

James Merrill is known for his wit, elegance, and humane work. He was the leading lyric poet of his generation. He grew up in New York City and spent much of his adult life there and in Greece and Key West. His various homes and communities are often the subjects of his poems. He consistently wrote in formal verse, and his work was autobiographical. He received many awards for his poetry. The poems included in his section are "A Renewal," "Voices from the Other World," "Days of 1964," "Willowware Cup," and "Lost in Translation."

W.S. Merwin was born in New York City and moved to Europe after graduating from Princeton. He worked as a translator and writer. He moved...