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Edition 1 (1976) NomineeWork: The Names of the Lost
Levine’s collection gathers powerful poems about labor, war, loss, and survival.
The poems work as if calling the lost by name.
69 pagespoetrylaborwarlosssurvival
Philip Levine
フィリップ・レヴィン
Philip Levine
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1928-01-10 (Detroit, Michigan, US)
- Died
- 2015-02-14 (Fresno, California, US) age 87
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- Detroit, Michigan, US → Brooklyn Heights, New York, US → Fresno, California, US
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Professor
- Active Years
- 1963-2015
- Affiliations
- California State University, Fresno (English Department), New York University (Distinguished Writer-in-Residence), Columbia University (visiting), Princeton University (visiting), Brown University (visiting), Tufts University (visiting), Vanderbilt University (visiting), University of California, Berkeley (visiting)
- Influenced By
- Robert Lowell, John Berryman
- Influenced
- Yusef Komunyakaa, Sharon Olds, Edward Hirsch
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne State University | — | English | A.B. (BA) | 1946–1950 | United States |
| University of Iowa | — | Creative Writing/English | MFA | 1953–1957 | United States |
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | American Academy of Arts and Letters Award (Frank O'Hara Prize) | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | 受賞 |
| 1977 | Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize | The Names of the Lost | — | Academy of American Poets | 受賞 |
| 1979 | National Book Critics Circle Award | Ashes: Poems New and Old | — | National Book Critics Circle | 受賞 |
| 1980 | National Book Award for Poetry | Ashes: Poems New and Old | — | National Book Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1981 | Levinson Prize | — | — | Poetry magazine | 受賞 |
| 1987 | Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize | — | — | Modern Poetry Association / American Council for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 1991 | National Book Award for Poetry | What Work Is | — | National Book Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1991 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize | What Work Is | — | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
| 1995 | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry | The Simple Truth | — | Pulitzer Prize Board | 受賞 |
| 2011 | Poet Laureate of the United States | — | — | Library of Congress | 任命 |
| 2013 | Wallace Stevens Award | — | — | Academy of American Poets | 受賞 |
Awards & Nominations
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Edition 2 (1987) Winner
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Edition 12 (1991) Winner
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Edition 76 (1995) Winner
Works
Major Works
On the Edge
1963 Poetry collectionDebut collection containing early poems about factory work and urban life.
Ashes: Poems New and Old
1979 Poetry collectionA collection combining new and earlier poems; winner of major national awards.
What Work Is
1992 Poetry collectionA signature collection exploring the lives of workers and the meaning of labor; recipient of the National Book Award.
The Simple Truth
1994 Poetry collectionPublished in 1994; the collection that earned him the Pulitzer Prize.
The Mercy
1999 Poetry collectionA more personal collection that includes poems dedicated to his mother.
Breath
2004 Poetry collectionA late-career collection addressing life, time, and personal reflection.
News of the World
2009 Poetry collectionA late collection reflecting on contemporary society and the individual.
The Last Shift
2016 Poetry collection (posthumous/edited)Posthumous/edited collection containing late and previously unpublished poems.
Bibliography
- On the Edge (1963)
- Not This Pig (1968)
- They Feed They Lion (1972)
- 1933 (1974)
- The Names of the Lost (1976)
- Ashes: Poems New and Old (1979)
- What Work Is (1992)
- The Simple Truth (1994)
- The Mercy (1999)
- Breath (2004)
- News of the World (2009)
- The Last Shift (2016, ed. Edward Hirsch)
Adaptations
- The Poetry of Jazz (album, 2018)
- The Poetry of Jazz Volume Two (album, 2019)
Translations by Author
- Off the Map: Selected Poems of Gloria Fuertes (edited and translated, 1984)
- Tarumba: The Selected Poems of Jaime Sabines (edited and translated, 1979)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- direct, colloquial narrative voicefree verserhythms created by line breaks and extended clauses
- Recurring Motifs
- factories and assembly linesworking-class daily lifeimmigrant memory and Jewish heritagethe city (especially Detroit)
Health
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Pancreatic cancer2014–2015Impaired health in his final years; led to his death in 2015
Legacy
Philip Levine established the working-class experience in American poetry, becoming a leading voice on labor and urban life. He received major national awards and served as U.S. Poet Laureate.
Academic Societies
- Academy of American Poets (associated)
Archives
- Library of Congress holdings (Philip Levine materials)
- California State University, Fresno archives
In Popular Culture
- Tributes and readings following his 2011 appointment as U.S. Poet Laureate and numerous literary awards
Quotes
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"You write like an angel. Why don't you think about becoming a writer?"
Source: Recollection of a high school teacher (biographical account)
Trivia
- Born one of identical twins
- Worked night shifts in auto factories from age 14
- Appointed U.S. Poet Laureate for 2011–2012