Sixty years of poems from pioneering writer, activist, and
intellectual Adrienne Rich—“the Blake of American letters”
(Nadine Gordimer).
Adrienne Rich was the singular voice of her generation, bringing
discussions of gender, race, and class to the forefront of poetical
discourse. This generous selection from all nineteen of Rich’s
published poetry volumes encompasses her best-known work—the
clear-sighted and passionate feminist poems of the 1970s, including
“Diving into the Wreck,” “Planetarium,” and “The
Phenomenology of Anger”—and offers the full range of her
evolution as a poet. From poems leading up to her feminist
breakthrough through bold later work such as “North American Time”
and “Calle Visión,” Selected Poems celebrates Rich’s prophetic
vision as well as the inventiveness that shaped her enduring art.
