George Garrett – författare

Since 1964, when Louisiana State University Press published its inaugural book of verse (Miller Williams's A Circle of Stone), its poetry list has grown exponentially- 191 books by 93 poets- into a program that inspires understandable pride in those associated with it. Two collections have won the Pulitzer Prize- The Flying Change (1986), by Henry Taylor, and Alive Together (1996), by Lisel Mueller. Another book by Mueller, The Need to Hold Still (1980), won the National Book Award, while several other LSU titles have been finalists for that distinction, most recently The Fields of Praise (1997), by Marilyn Nelson, and The Vigil (1993), by Margaret Gibson. Dozens more have been recognized for their excellence through a host of various honors. The Press publishes the winner of the annual Walt Whitman Award, given by The Academy of American Poets for a first collection; and in 1996 it launched the Southern Messenger series in collaboration with Dave Smith, bringing two shining works into the fold each year. The appearance of The Collected Poems of Robert Penn Warren in 1998 meant for the Press the realization of a long, dearly held dream.To mark this thirty-five-year-old tradition as the century and millennium turn, and to offer a sampling of its richness, The Yellow Shoe Poets, a retrospective anthology, was compiled under the editorship of George Garrett, a longtime colleague of the Press and the author of eight poetry volumes. (Say ""the LSU poets"" real fast with a southern drawl and you get the ridiculously wonderful moniker that poet Elizabeth Seydel Morgan's young friend innocently mistook for this noble band. It's an image Brendan Galvin has appropriated to a perfect fit in his poem Yellow Shoe Poet, written on behalf of his fellow ""yellow shoes"" across the years.)All 173 poems are taken from LSU Press books and were selected by the poets themselves, if living. Arranged alphabetically by author, they consist of at least one poem from every poet published by the Press. Goethe's admonition that ""one ought every day at least, to read a good poem"" can find no better starting point than in The Yellow Shoe Poets.

In this, his third book of poetry, Garrett presents recent poems that enhance a reputation already well established for charm of language, a frank and perceptive approach to experience, strong images, and a large understanding of life and feelings. The three sections comprising the book are well differentiated, moving from the casually actual to the neatly satirical to depth poems.A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.