Collected Poems, 1930-83

by Josephine Miles

"Miles's work is one of the finest and most solid bodies of poetry to be found in this country." - A. R. Ammons. Acclaimed as a poet and scholar, revered as a teacher, Josephine Miles was widely recognized as a shrewd and eloquent observer and a perceptive critic. Among numerous awards and honors for her work, Miles received the Shelley Memorial Award for Poetry (1935), the National Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Poetry (1956), the MLA's James Russell Lowell Prize (1975), the Academy of American Poets fellowship (1978), and the first Fred Cody Memorial Award for excellence of a body of work from the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association (1984). Spanning a creative life of more than half a century, "Collected Poems" is unified by the poet's abiding concern with the human condition. The volume received seven awards when it was initially published, including the prestigious Lenore Marshall/Nation Poetry Prize for the best book of the year, selected by Josephine Jacobsen, Donald Justice, and Alfred Corn. One of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry, "Collected Poems" marks the culmination of a master poet's long and distinguished career.

Genres: Poetry

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miles’ quirky style is similar to that of Marianne Moore, both of whom were keen observers of life’s particulars and peculiarities.

Favorite Poems:
“Belief”