The Collected Works of Ruth Whitman: Personas and Personhood - Paperback

by Ruth Whitman (Author), Jennifer Kronovet (Foreword by), David Houghton (Editor)

Back Jacket

Ruth Whitman's poetry and other creative work have left an undeniable mark on twentieth-century literature. For the first time in a single volume, longtime fans and new readers alike can engage with her eight published books of poetry as well as the never-before-seen Atlantic Light. The first half of the collection contains persona poems of fascinating women--from American pioneer Tamsen Donner of the ill-fated Donner Party, to Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, to modern dancer Isadora Duncan. The second half takes up themes including Jewishness, domestic life, and motherhood. Concluding this important collection is an update of Becoming a Poet, Whitman's nonfiction volume of practical advice and reflections on her teaching philosophy. While Whitman is already a household name for some, this collection firmly positions her as a necessary and radical voice within the American poetry canon.

Author Biography

Ruth Whitman (1922-99) was a renowned poet, translator, and performer. She published fourteen volumes of poetry--original works and several translations of Yiddish poetry, including An Anthology of Modern Yiddish Poetry (Wayne State University Press). Whitman won numerous awards, fellowships, and grants, including a 1984-85 Senior Fulbright Writer-in-Residence Fellowship to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a 1974-75 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Grant. During her career, Whitman taught at many universities, including Harvard, Radcliffe, and MIT. David Houghton is an adjunct professor of English in New England. He coauthored The Chinese of the Mendocino Coast with Dorothy Bear and teaches writing, rhetoric, and literature. He is the son of Ruth Whitman.