Karl Shapiro: Selected Poems

In this new selection of poems by Karl Shapiro, master literary craftsman John Updike provides a long-overdue reassessment of the Pulitzer Prize–winning poet who first rose to prominence with his poems about war.

Updike’s great personal respect and affection for Shapiro’s work resonate throughout the essay he wrote to introduce the volume: “Karl Shapiro’s tone is breezy, surly, rapturous as the mood rapidly shifts. The last lines often stub our toes and invite us to reread. The concreteness ...