W. S. Merwin biography

Profile

W.S. Merwin’s first poetry collection was A Mask for Janus (1952), and he became known for the spare style of his poetry. His work includes The Lice (1967), The Carrier of Ladders (1970, Pulitzer Prize) and Travels (1993). His translations, often collaborations with others, range from Federico García Lorca to epics to ancient and modern works from Chinese, Sanskrit and Japanese.