Poems and Satires

Edna St Vincent Millay was a popular American writer of her generation, and the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Poems and Satires restores that wonder to view, revealing her as a more innovative and versatile talent than she is usually given credit for. She was the defining flapper poet of the 1920s and a crucial voice for the 2020s, questioning society's treatment of women and artists in surreal stories and plays, non-fiction, and spoof agony aunt letters.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 30 September 2021
Publisher: Carcanet Press Ltd

Edna St Vincent Millay (1892-1950) was a highly celebrated American writer of her generation, making history as the first woman to secure the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Renowned author Thomas Hardy once remarked that America had two remarkable wonders to showcase to the world: towering skyscrapers and the unparalleled poetry of Edna St Vincent Millay. Poems and Satires is a remarkable collection that restores that wonder, unveiling Millay as a more innovative and versatile talent than she is often credited with. It includes some of her wickedly funny satires, which were originally published under the pseudonym Nancy Boyd and have been out of print since 1924. Furthermore, the book showcases her acclaimed play Aria da Capo and reveals her as not only the defining flapper poet of the 1920s but also a vital voice for the 2020s. The fierce and trivial persona she cultivated in her early lyric poems and sonnets, characterized by their dazzling wit and audacious attitudes towards love and sexuality, perfectly captured the vibrant essence of bohemian life in New York. In her genre-defying satires, Millay delved into surreal stories, plays, non-fiction, spoof agony aunt letters, and even a Handmaid's Tale-esque dystopia disguised as an almanac from the future. Through her writing, she challenged society's treatment of women and artists, offering thought-provoking perspectives and sparking conversations that continue to resonate today.

Weight: 250g
Dimension: 135 x 215 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800171671