In 1956, Kenneth Rexroth characterized Denise Levertov as “the best poet of what is getting to be known as the new avant-garde.” Poet James Wright talked about her international sensibility. For Levertov, the poem was a radical act, refusing the silences which allow war and other horrors. Her politics were developed against the exploitation and violation of life’s mystery. Many of her poems combine the mysterious sublime with the day to day. A poet of lasting influence, Denise Levertov was passionate in her denunciation of the Vietnam War, bringing both depth and controversy to her work.

Visit our Denise Levertov e-Exhibit.