W.S. Merwin

W.S. Merwin’s Followers (322)

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W.S. Merwin


Born
in New York City, New York, The United States
September 30, 1927

Died
March 15, 2019

Genre


William Stanley Merwin was an American poet, credited with over fifty books of poetry, translation and prose.
William Stanley Merwin (September 30, 1927 – March 15, 2019) was an American poet who wrote more than fifty books of poetry and prose, and produced many works in translation.During the 1960s anti-war movement, Merwin's unique craft was thematically characterized by indirect, unpunctuated narration. In the 1980s and 1990s, his writing influence derived from an interest in Buddhist philosophy and deep ecology. Residing in a rural part of Maui, Hawaii, he wrote prolifically and was dedicated to the restoration of the island's rainforests.

Merwin received many honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1971 and 2009; the National
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Average rating: 4.17 · 121,248 ratings · 5,061 reviews · 196 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Shadow of Sirius

4.20 avg rating — 1,661 ratings — published 2008 — 11 editions
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Migration: New and Selected...

4.35 avg rating — 679 ratings — published 2005 — 5 editions
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The Rain in the Trees

4.15 avg rating — 428 ratings — published 1987 — 14 editions
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The Lice: Poems

4.31 avg rating — 383 ratings — published 1967 — 16 editions
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The Moon Before Morning

4.10 avg rating — 396 ratings — published 2014 — 6 editions
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Garden Time

4.28 avg rating — 355 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions
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The Second Four Books of Po...

4.36 avg rating — 308 ratings — published 1992 — 3 editions
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The Essential W.S. Merwin

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4.52 avg rating — 223 ratings
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The Carrier of Ladders

4.25 avg rating — 198 ratings — published 1971 — 7 editions
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The First Four Books of Poems

4.06 avg rating — 204 ratings — published 1975 — 9 editions
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More books by W.S. Merwin…
Quotes by W.S. Merwin  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Separation

Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.”
W.S. Merwin

“Poetry is a way of looking at the world for the first time.”
W.S. Merwin

“A BIRTHDAY

Something continues and I don't know what to call it
though the language is full of suggestions
in the way of language
but they are all anonymous
and it's almost your birthday music next to my bones

these nights we hear the horses running in the rain
it stops and the moon comes out and we are still here
the leaks in the roof go on dripping after the rain has passed
smell of ginger flowers slips through the dark house
down near the sea the slow heart of the beacon flashes

the long way to you is still tied to me but it brought me to you
I keep wanting to give you what is already yours
it is the morning of the mornings together
breath of summer oh my found one
the sleep in the same current and each waking to you

when I open my eyes you are what I wanted to see.”
W.S. Merwin

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