Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems

Name: Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems
Price: 35.0 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781644453711

by Larry Levis

$35.00

Members save $3.50. Learn more about Membership »

In stock

All the blazingly original work by Larry Levis, "one of the greatest poets of a generation" (Carolyn Forché)

The poetry of Larry Levis increasingly occupies a legendary place of reverence among poets and readers--the spell of his reputation only continuing to widen in the thirty years since his death. From the briefer lyrics and deep image-making of his early books to the long sequences and operatic narratives of his last works, Levis's poems have an unmistakable signature, a way of expressing the sweep of history, perception, and heartbreak. Over his career, his poetic lines broadened to accommodate the cinematic aperture of his observations on American empire, poverty, landscape, migrant workers, political violence, addiction, and art. Levis's expansive poems came to resemble the interconnecting patterns just discernible in the eddies of a stream or the leaves circling in a wind.

Swirl & Vortex at last makes all of Levis's poetry available in one definitive volume. This collection includes the five books published in Levis's lifetime, a brilliant reconfiguration of Levis's posthumous books, and unpublished late poems, edited and with an afterword by David St. John. To trace Levis's poetic development into his extraordinary "late style of fire"--cut short by his early death--is one of the singular experiences in contemporary poetry. Swirl & Vortex is an essential collection by one of the great poets of the end of the twentieth century, and a transformative work spiraling out toward our future.

Publisher:: Graywolf Press
ISBN:: 9781644453711
Binding:: Hardcover
Pages:: 576
Authors:: Larry Levis
Published Date:: 2026-02-03
Language:: English

Ships directly to you from our US distribution partner. US delivery only.

Usually ships within 1–2 days.

Estimated total time for this book on its own:

Economy 4–10 days (usually about a week)
Expedited 3–7 days
Priority 2–6 days

Orders with more than one book may arrive in separate deliveries. Pre-orders always ship separately once the book is released.

We offer a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return. To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it: new, unworn or unused, and in its original packaging. See details on our Return & Refund policy.

All Poetry Death, Grief, Loss Poems About Family | Poetry Books

About Larry Levis

Raised among the vineyards of Selma, California, Larry Levis (1946-1996) drove a tractor and picked grapes before earning a bachelor's degree from Fresno State College, a master's from Syracuse University, and a PhD from the University of Iowa. His first book, Wrecking Crew (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1972), won the United States Award from the International Poetry Forum; The Afterlife (University of Iowa Press, 1976) was the Lamont Poetry Selection. The Dollmaker's Ghost (Dutton, 1981) won the National Poetry Series Open Competition. Levis taught at the University of Missouri, the University of Utah, and Virginia Commonwealth University. The posthumous collection Elegy (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1997), edited by Philip Levine, appeared after his death.

If this information requires correction, please contact info@thepoetryshop.com.

Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems

About Larry Levis

You may also like