Denise Levertov

Denise Levertov
Born	Priscilla Denise Levertoff 24 October 1923 Ilford, Essex, England
Died	20 December 1997(1997-12-20) (aged 74) Seattle, Washington
Occupation	Poet
Period	1946 to 1997
Genre	Poetry
Notable awards	Shelley Memorial Award (1984), Robert Frost Medal (1990)
Spouse	Mitchell Goodman

Denise Levertov (24 October 1923 – 20 December 1997) was an American poet.

She was born in Ilford, Essex, England. Her father was born in Russia. He was Jewish, but he became Christian and was an Anglican priest when she was born. She had no formal education but was taught at home by her parents. When she was 12, she sent some of her poems to T. S. Eliot. He answered her with a long, hopeful letter.^[1]

Levertov was a nurse during World War II. Her first book of poems came out in 1946.^[2] She moved to the United States in 1948 with her husband Mitchell Goodman, an American writer.^[3] In 1956 she became a U. S. citizen. Her husband introduced her to poet Robert Creeley. Through him she got to know poets Robert Duncan and Charles Olson.^[2]

From the 1960s, Levertov was active as a pacifist against the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons. She also protested against American aid to El Salvador and the Persian Gulf War.^[1]

Levertov died of lymphoma in 1997.^[1]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "Denise Levertov". Poetry Foundation. 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "About Denise Levertov | Academy of American Poets". poets.org. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
3. ↑ Jr, Robert Mcg Thomas (1997-02-06). "Mitchell Goodman, Antiwar Protest Leader, Dies at 73". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-16.