Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) is not only the greatest poet that the
American West has produced but also a major poet of the twentieth
century in the tradition of American prophetic poetry. This anthology
serves as an introduction to Jeffers's work for the general reader and
for students in courses on American poetry.
Jeffers composed each volume of his verse around one or two long
narrative or dramatic poems. The Wild God of the World follows this
practice: in it, Cawdor, one of Jeffers's most powerful narratives, is
surrounded by a representative selection of shorter poems.
At the end of the book, the editor has provided revealing statements
about Jeffers's poetry and poetics, and about his philosophy of nature
and human nature.