W. D. Snodgrass, 11th Annual ODU Literary Festival

Of W. D. Snodgrass\u27s most recent book, one reviewer said: On the evidence of his Selected Poems 1957-8 7, W. D. Snodgrass is one of the six best poets now writing in English. Snodgrass\u27s first book, Heart\u27s Needle, won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1960; in 1961, that same volume won the British Guinness Award. Of Heart\u27s Needle, critics said, Snodgrass has found a place for emotions felt, but previously left without words and out of consciousness. He has identified himself with exquisite suffering and guilt and with all those who barely manage to exist on the edge of life. The poems of his The Fueher Bunker (1977) have been called a rare example of ambitious, ongoing verse sculpture. The Death of Cock Robin, which will be published in the spring of 1989, includes such playful titles as W. D. Lifts Ten Times the Weight of His Own Body, and Disguised as Humpty Dumpty, W. D. Practices Tumbling. His other books include After Experience (1967), Remains (1970, revised edition, 1985), and In Radical Pursuit, a collection of critical essays (1975). He has published numerous song and poetry translations, including (with Lore Segal) Christian Morgenstern\u27s Gallows Songs, as well as minnesinger and troubadour songs. A former Distinguished Visiting Professor in creative writing at Old Dominion University, he is currently Distinguished Professor of creative writing and poetry at the University of Delaware. He continues to be one of the most original voices in American poetry