A Few, Very Few, Famous Poets

There have been so many famous poets, from the writer of the Psalms to any number of poets writing now, that its hard to know where to begin. So this article will restrict itself to a very brief look at some famous poets of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Walt Whitman
One of the most famous of the famous poets, Walt may be an acquired taste for some, but his Leaves of Grass is an iconic collection. Hes really the first of the modern day famous poets. Some people say he paved the way for confessional poets like Robert Lowell and Anne Sexton.

Emily Dickinson
When she died, her sister Lavinia found over 1000 poems this reclusive but passionate poetess tried to hide away in her drawer. Her strange, stirring,  slanted poems continue to haunt and enthrall people today.

Nikki Giovanni
This poet writes in a way thats heartfelt, joyous, sensuous. I am pitiful in my love for you,  goes one of her poems. Have we not all been there?

Edna St. Vincent Millay
This red haired daughter of a struggling single Mom was famous even in her teens with her poem Renascence. She went on to write poems that may be a little too famous for their own good (My candle at both ends/It will not last the night.) But the lines We were very tired,we were very merry –  captures the joy of being young and staying up all night in New York City.

Robert Lowell
Lowell was one of the most famous of the confessional famous poets. He not only revealed his own demons, but the demons of other people, like his ex-wife, and without their permission. This makes him morally dubious, like so many artists, but the work still stands.

Sylvia Plath
What teenage girl with literary pretensions hasnt wanted to be Sylvia? But theres only one Sylvia and as ferocious as she can be (Daddy, Daddy you bastard, Im through) she believed in doing everything with an iron discipline and fierce intelligence. The inevitable crack-up ensued, but we still have her poems.