The William Carlos Williams Reader

by William Carlos Williams, Macha Louis Rosenthal (Editor)

William Carlos Williams’s place among the great poets of our century is firmly established. This anthology of selections drawn from the whole range of his work―poetry, fiction, autobiography, drama and essays―shows conclusively that his prose was also remarkably original, versatile and powerful. It has been edited by M. L. Rosenthal, literary critic and Professor of English at New York University.

Genres: Poetry, Essays, Anthologies, Literature, Fiction

450 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1966

About the author

William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine. Williams "worked harder at being a writer than he did at being a physician," wrote biographer Linda Wagner-Martin. During his long lifetime, Williams excelled both as a poet and a physician.

Although his primary occupation was as a doctor, Williams had a full literary career. His work consists of short stories, poems, plays, novels, critical essays, an autobiography, translations, and correspondence. He wrote at night and spent weekends in New York City with friends—writers and artists like the avant-garde painters Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia and the poets Wallace Stevens and Marianne Moore. He became involved in the Imagist movement but soon he began to develop opinions that differed from those of his poetic peers, Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot. Later in his life, Williams toured the United States giving poetry readings and lectures.

In May 1963, he was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems (1962) and the Gold Medal for Poetry of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. The Poetry Society of America continues to honor William Carlos Williams by presenting an annual award in his name for the best book of poetry published by a small, non-profit or university press.

Williams' house in Rutherford is now on the National Register of Historic Places. He was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2009.

Reviews

[Samantha]

I read the poetry section.

[R. Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with William's poetry when I was a poet myself. One of only a handful of poets outside the Beat Era I found interesting enough to research thoroughly, I would suggest skipping his plays and fiction, but the poetry contained within this book is wonderous.

[robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've stared at WCW for years, but I never did cotton to him. I grew up in the town right next door to Paterson, but no matter. He has what is called a halting 'broken field' style, eg, Paterson, which I guess he got from Pound.

[Lance Lusk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've grown to appreciate this grumpy old physician/craftsman with the painterly eye. This is a nice overview volume with appropriate and comprehensive selections from his poetry and prose.