Galway Kinnell
(b. 1927)

Galway Kinnell's poetry examines the significance of life through observations of daily human experiences. Rich with personal insight, his work focuses on themes of birth and human mortality and conveys the transcendental philosophy of nature as a source of solace.

Born and raised in Rhode Island, Kinnell began studying poetry as a teenager in Massachusetts. He continued his studies at Princeton University, where he was also influenced by the work of poet William Butler Yeats. After graduating with highest honors from Princeton, he went on to receive a master's degree from the University of Rochester and later began a teaching career that would take him to France, Spain, Iran, and Hawaii. Many of his life experiences found expression in his poetry.

In 1960 Kinnell published his first book of poems, What a Kingdom It Was, but he achieved major recognition with the publication of his third collection, Body Rags, in 1969. His book Selected Poems earned him both a Pulitzer Prize and an American Book Award in 1983. His latest work, A New Selected Poems, was published in 2000.

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