These essays cover the range of Oppen's poetry and the ways it has been read at all stages of his career, from his overtly Objectivist roots through his abandonment of poetry for political activism in the thirties to his renewed poetic output after the 1950s.
Michael Heller has published more than twenty-five volumes of poetry, essays, and memoir. His recent works include the poetry collection This Constellation Is a Name: Collected Poems 1965–2010, Dianoia, and Beckmann Variations and Other Poems, a work in prose and poetry. He is the recipient of numerous prizes, including awards from the Poetry Society of America, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Fund for Poetry. He lives in New York City.