The Facts On File Companion To 20th-century American Poetry

This A-Z compendium of 500-plus signed entries presents an eclectic approach to the study of twentieth-century American poetry, reflecting the wide variety of poetic styles, schools, and movements of the century. Kimmelman, a professor of English at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and himself a poet, draws upon the expertise of 244 academic contributors from all parts of the country and abroad. Analysis by contributors from academic institutions in Australia, Canada, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, and the U.K. lends unique cross-cultural perspectives.
Entries range in length from 500 to 2,000 words, and each has a bibliography. In addition to individual poets, coverage encompasses important poems and collections as well as topics such as Caribbean poetic influences, Deep image poetry, Fugitive/Agrarian school, and Poetry journals. Of note is the book's expert inclusion of African American poets and poetry. Entries offer extensive, authoritative interpretations of well-known poets Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, and Langston Hughes, to name three, and entries for lesser-known writers like the late modernist African American poet Melvin Tolson.