(b. 1928– )
U.S. poet
Philip Levine
He could read the phonebook and make it sound terrific.
Describing Dylan Thomas in “A Useful Poetry,” interview by Wen Stephenson, The Atlantic, April 8, 1999.
How can I put it? It’s like winning the Pulitzer. If you take it too seriously, you’re an idiot. But if you look at the names of the other poets who have won it, most of them are damn good. Not all of them—I’m not going to name names—but most. My editor was thrilled, and my wife jumped for joy. She hasn’t done that in a while.
“Voice of the Workingman to Be Poet Laureate,” by Charles McGrath, The New York Times, August 9, 2011.