life and death

"The deepest thing I know is that I am living and dying at once, and my conviction is to report that dialogue. It is a rather terrifying thought that is at the root of much of my poetry. To have such a thought is, of necessity to relate the imagination to primary issues - moral issues, spiritual issues - and that separates me from those who think of poetry as a literistic game."

stanley kunitz (Worcester, MA, 1905-New York City, NY, 2006), as quoted in an article published in The New York Times, March 11, 1987


Further reading:

Archives of the Poetry Foundation

Biography at Poets.org

Modern American Poetry