The Shadow of Sirius

nWinner of the Pulitzer Prize for PoetryFeatured on NPR's Fresh Air and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS.Honored as one of the Best Books of the Year from Publishers Weekly.

A collection of luminous, often tender poems that focus on the profound power of memory. --Pulitzer Prize CommitteeIn his personal anonymity, his strict individuated manner, his defense of the earth, and his heartache at time's passing, Merwin has become instantly recognizable on the page; he has made for himself that most difficult of creations, an accomplished style. --Helen Vendler, The New York Review of BooksMerwin is one of the great poets of our age.--Los Angeles Times Book Review The Shadow of Sirius is] the very best of all Merwin: I have been reading William since 1952, and always with joy. --Harold Bloom Merwin's] best book in a decade--and one of the best outright... The poems... feel fresh and awake with a simplicity that can only be called wisdom. --Publishers Weekly, starred reviewMerwin's gentle wisdom and attentiveness to the world are alive as ever. These deeply reflective meditations move through light and darkness, old love and turning seasons to probe the core of human existence. --Orion The Shadow of Sirius] shows the earthly possibilities of simple completeness in a writer's mature work. More than an achievement in poetry, this is an achievement in writing. --Harvard ReviewThe nuanced mysteries of light, darkness, presence, and memory are central themes in W.S. Merwin's new book of poems. I have only what I remember, Merwin admits, and his memories are focused and profound--the distinct qualities of autumn light, a conversation with a boyhood teacher, well-cultivated loves, and our long evenings and astonishment. In Photographer, Merwin presents the scene where armloads of antique glass negatives are saved from a dumpcart by someone who understood. In Empty Lot, Merwin evokes a child lying in bed at night, listening to the muffled dynamite blasts of coal mining near his home, and we can't help but ask: How shall we mine our lives?somewhere the Perseids are falling ntoward us already at a speed that would nburn us alive if we could believe it nbut in the stillness after the rain ends nnothing is to be heard but the drops fallingW.S. Merwin, author of over fifty books, is America's foremost poet. His last two books were honored with major literary awards: Migration won the National Book Award, and Present Company received