Jack Gilbert

Jack Gilbert (1925-2012) was an acclaimed American poet born in Pittsburgh, known for his 'serious romantic' style and rejection of Beat and avant-garde trends. His debut collection, Views of Jeopardy (1962), won the Yale Younger Poets Prize and was Pulitzer-nominated, launching brief fame before he lived modestly abroad for decades. He published five collections over his career, with Refusing Heaven earning the National Book Critics Circle Award, and served as Northampton's Poet Laureate (2006-2008).