Deniza Levertov American poet Date of Birth: 24.10.1923 Country: USA

Denise Levertov Biography

Denise Levertov (1923–1997) was an American poet and one of the most prominent names in American poetry after World War II. According to her beliefs, a writer cannot be free from the world they live in and, in addition to artistic skill, must possess an understanding of "social and political" realities (as stated in her essay collection "The Poet in the World," 1973).

She was born on October 24, 1923 in Ilford, Essex, England. Her father, a Russian Jew, was an Anglican priest. Levertov received her education at home, aside from ballet and French lessons. During World War II, she worked as a nurse. Her first poetry collection, "The Double Image," was published in 1946.

Levertov moved to the United States in 1948 after marrying writer Mitchell Goodman. From 1961 to 1963-1965, she served as the poetry editor for the magazine "Nation." In 1965, she was one of the initiators of the protest movement among writers and artists against the Vietnam War.

Levertov's best poems compel readers to experience the described moment and reflect on its meaning, paying particular attention to the "insignificant" aspects of everyday life. These moments coalesce in Levertov's poetry to form a complete portrait of the world, which unfolds before readers in her books such as "Here and Now" (1957), "With Eyes at the Back of Our Heads" (1960), and "O Taste and See" (1964).

The poems that make up the collection "The Sorrow Dance" (1967) demonstrate an increasing political motivation, while in "Footprints" (1971), "The Freeing of the Dust" (1975), and "Oblique Prayers: New Poems With Fourteen Translations" (1984), Levertov focuses primarily on poetic exploration.