The Collected Works of Ruth Whitman: Personas and Personhood
Positioning poet Ruth Whitman as a necessary and radical voice within the American poetry canon.

Ruth Whitman's poetry and other creative work have left an undeniable mark on twentieth-century literature. Known as a poet and a translator of Yiddish poetry, Whitman was intensely interested in gender and women's stories. For the first time in a single volume, readers can engage with her eight published books of poetry as well as the never-before-seen Atlantic Light and her prose practicum, Becoming a Poet. The first half of the collection contains persona poems of fascinating women—from Tamsen Donner of the ill-fated Donner Party, to Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, to modern dancer Isadora Duncan. The second half takes up many themes, including Jewishness, domestic life, and motherhood. Whitman's distinctive methods and influences, alongside her unique poetic technique, make clear her commitment to expanding the boundaries of poetic form as well as exploring gender, family, the self, creativity, mortality, and memory in poetry. This text firmly positions Whitman as a necessary and radical voice within the American poetry canon.

1147101069
The Collected Works of Ruth Whitman: Personas and Personhood
Positioning poet Ruth Whitman as a necessary and radical voice within the American poetry canon.

Ruth Whitman's poetry and other creative work have left an undeniable mark on twentieth-century literature. Known as a poet and a translator of Yiddish poetry, Whitman was intensely interested in gender and women's stories. For the first time in a single volume, readers can engage with her eight published books of poetry as well as the never-before-seen Atlantic Light and her prose practicum, Becoming a Poet. The first half of the collection contains persona poems of fascinating women—from Tamsen Donner of the ill-fated Donner Party, to Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, to modern dancer Isadora Duncan. The second half takes up many themes, including Jewishness, domestic life, and motherhood. Whitman's distinctive methods and influences, alongside her unique poetic technique, make clear her commitment to expanding the boundaries of poetic form as well as exploring gender, family, the self, creativity, mortality, and memory in poetry. This text firmly positions Whitman as a necessary and radical voice within the American poetry canon.

99.99 Pre Order
The Collected Works of Ruth Whitman: Personas and Personhood

The Collected Works of Ruth Whitman: Personas and Personhood

The Collected Works of Ruth Whitman: Personas and Personhood

The Collected Works of Ruth Whitman: Personas and Personhood

Overview

Positioning poet Ruth Whitman as a necessary and radical voice within the American poetry canon.

Ruth Whitman's poetry and other creative work have left an undeniable mark on twentieth-century literature. Known as a poet and a translator of Yiddish poetry, Whitman was intensely interested in gender and women's stories. For the first time in a single volume, readers can engage with her eight published books of poetry as well as the never-before-seen Atlantic Light and her prose practicum, Becoming a Poet. The first half of the collection contains persona poems of fascinating women—from Tamsen Donner of the ill-fated Donner Party, to Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, to modern dancer Isadora Duncan. The second half takes up many themes, including Jewishness, domestic life, and motherhood. Whitman's distinctive methods and influences, alongside her unique poetic technique, make clear her commitment to expanding the boundaries of poetic form as well as exploring gender, family, the self, creativity, mortality, and memory in poetry. This text firmly positions Whitman as a necessary and radical voice within the American poetry canon.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780814351246
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Publication date: 12/02/2025
Pages: 488
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Ruth Whitman (1922–99) was a renowned poet, translator, and performer. She published fourteen volumes of poetry—original works and several translations of Yiddish poetry, including An Anthology of Modern Yiddish Poetry (Wayne State University Press). Whitman won numerous awards, fellowships, and grants, including a 1984–85 Senior Fulbright Writer-in-Residence Fellowship to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a 1974–75 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Grant. During her career, Whitman taught at many universities, including Harvard, Radcliffe, and MIT. David Houghton is an adjunct professor of English in New England. He coauthored The Chinese of the Mendocino Coast with Dorothy Bear and teaches writing, rhetoric, and literature. He is the son of Ruth Whitman.

From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of

Related Subjects

Poetry
General & Miscellaneous Poetry
Jewish Poetry
Poetry
General & Miscellaneous Poetry
Jewish Poetry

Customer Reviews