Selected Poems, 1946-1985

'It is a testament to the breadth of James Merrill's influence that one can, without ruffling too many feathers, declare him the greatest living American poet. Few writers approach his exquisite knowledge of the English language, its beauty and oddity-he breathes vigor into our most common words-and even fewer have managed to combine a sense of elegance with the momentous intellect and feeling that Merrill brings to his poems.'-David Leavitt