Above the River (Revised Edition): The Complete Poems

A new, corrected edition of the complete poems of James Wright, with never-before published poems and translations, and a new introduction by the poet Rowan Ricardo Phillips.

One of the most admired American poets of his generation, James Wright wrote contemplative, sturdy, and generous poems with an honesty, a clarity, and a stylistic range matched by very few —then or now. From his Deep Image–inspired lyrics to his Whitmanesque renderings of Neruda, Vallejo, and other Latin American poets, and from his heartfelt reflections on life, love, and loss in his native Ohio to the celebrated prose poems (frequently set in Italy) that marked the end of his important career, Above the River gathers the complete work of a modern master. This centennial edition includes additional, never-before-published poems and translations, a new introductory essay by the poet Rowan Ricardo Phillips, and an afterword by Wright’s longtime friend and colleague Donald Hall.