Poetry is an art in which the expression of ideas and feelings is expressed critically by using distinctive style and rhythm, and the person who puts down it in words is a poet.
American literature has grown a lot in the past years, and some historical classics and poets add uniqueness and authenticity to America’s literature and poetic work. Poems, pieces, playwrights, and many more forms of expression have become more dominant due to the quality of writing and the variety of different writers.
So here we are with the 15 topmost famous poets who have given their immense contributions to American poetry and deserve the utmost reverence.
Let’s roll and learn from the poets below and let them sway our toes.
1. Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson, born in 1830 in Massachusetts, was one of the influential poets of her time. She is entitled as one of the best women in American literature because of her sense and taste of life. She was a shy woman with a unique flavor of art and literature. She grew up reading jazz poetry, and surprisingly few knew her extraordinary skills.
She has international recognition as a top author. She is counted as one of the famous poets due to her writing, wordplay, unexpected rhymes, and deep meanings demonstrated through her poetry.
Some of her famous masterpieces include:
“wild nights – wild nights!”, “I’m Nobody! Who are you?”, “It’s a love for death” and many more.
2. Robert Frost
One of the most famous poets born in 1874 in California, Robert Frost, was a great philanthropist of American literature. Robert Frost’s extensive research demonstrates his depth of knowledge about human nature and led to dramatic monologues or dramatization throughout his poetry, sometimes confessional poetry.
His achievement in American literature led to the Congressional Medal in 1960 and the Congressional honors program. Hence, till now, Robert Frost’s work has been studied worldwide.
Some of his famous masterpieces include:
“The Road Not Taken,” “The Gift Outright,” “Mending Wall,” and numerous others.
3. Edgar Allan Poe
Poe has been regarded as a crucial character for Romantic Americans in many parts. Born in 1809 in Massachusetts, he has been an asset to American poetry and is one of the most talked.
He is recognized for being the supreme exponent of dark romantic genres. This American poet was significantly based on intense short stories, poems, major critical theories, and detective fiction.
Some of his famous masterpieces include:
“The Raven,” “The tell-tale heart,” “The black cat”
4. Walt Whitman
Born in 1819 in New York, Walt Whitman was an American poet called the “father of free verse.” He is known for his incredible and epic collection of American poetry like “Leaves of Grass,” which was initially published in 1855.
This was the only poet whose collection was admired and stood out as a say in freedom, sexuality, and love for the nation. He was a writer of science fiction and widely regarded for his work in his adult life.
Some of his famous masterpieces include:
“leaves of grass,” “song of myself,” “song of the open road,” and many more.
5. Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou world-famous American poet came into the world in 1928 in the lush state of Missouri. She was a philanthropist to society and brought the condition of women into the light.
She confidently spoke about human rights and continuously made efforts toward social development. Her poetry was widely considered, and she became a civil rights activist in New Hampshire journalism.
So far, she remains the first female poet. Maya Angelou then received the award “Presidential Medal of Freedom” in 2011.
Some of her famous masterpieces include:
“And still I rise,” “I know why the caged bird sings,” “The heart of a woman,” and numerous more.
6. Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes was an African-American poet born in 1901 in Missouri. He was a social activist, playwright, and novelist, and became the most famous face of the Harlem Renaissance. Earlier in his career, he led an early pioneer in genre poetry called jazz poetry.
He was more than a poet who published his work in America and wrote about different forms of problems faced in history by African Americans.
Some of his famous masterpieces include:
“Harlem,” “Mother to Son,” “I too,” and many more.
7. Edward Estlin Cummings
Cummings, a prominent figure born in 1894 in Massachusetts was one of the greatest poets and wrote numerous poems, wrote his autobiographical novel, written playwright, and was an author.
He is best known for his poetry that radically used unconventional punctuation and idioms phrasing in the text. A typical Cummings poem will mostly be about nature and love, which his fans enjoy.
Some of his famous masterpieces include:
“Since feeling is first,” “tulips and chimneys,” “IS 5” and many more.
8. Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath is one of the renowned poets who depicted her life through autobiographical work in American poetry born in 1932 but committed suicide. Her better-understood poetry was created before she died, including her famous poem.
She published them in her famous book Ariel in 2010. She had a miserable personal life that was demonstrated through her poems, but her contribution to American literature is commendable.
Some of her famous masterpieces include:
“Daddy”, “Colossus”, “Mirrors” and many more.
9. Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was a German-American poet born in Germany in 1920. His writing was a bit different. He used instinctive language and violent and sexual imagery. He was a notable American influencer.
His work portrays demoralized living and oppression in society. He believed in his perspective on life and wanted to make a significant change in this world through his writings.
Some of his famous masterpieces include:
“Woman”, “Ham on Rye”, “Factotum” and numerous more.
10. Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound was an incredible American poet and primary figure in the modernist poetry moment, birthed in 1885 in Venice, Italy. The man opposed Victorian and Edwardian grammar with an alternative language incorporating strange language and jargon.
T. S. Eliot, JW Irci, and H. Cummings, notably John Eliot and Thomas Joyce, were linked. Ezra Pound is said to have crafted and nurtured the contemporary literary tradition of modern writing.
Some of his famous masterpieces include:
“The Cantos,” “Cathy,” and many more.
11. Robert Lowell
Robert Lowell was an American poet born in 1917 in Boston. He suffered from severe episodes of depression, for which he was regularly hospitalized, and his personal life was disastrous.
He used to write about his personal life experiences and depicted pain and suffering, which have a deeper meaning for writers and readers.
Some of his famous masterpieces include:
“Skunk Hour,” “Walking in the Blue,” “For the Union Dead”
12. Rita Dove
Rita Dove is an American writer born in August in Ohio who is a teacher, talks and speaks about various social things, including democracy and is popularly known for being the first African American to serve as poet laureate of the United States. She is one of the few graceful American women poets.
Currently, she is a Commonwealth professor of English at the University of Virginia. She has written some art pieces and discussed her severe health condition and that she has been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
Some of her artwork includes:
“Thomas and Beulah,” “Mother Love,” and many more.
13. John Ashbery
John Ashbery, birthed in 1927 in New York City, was one of the finest poets and refined critics. He published over 30 books since 1970, and his critically acclaimed collection “A Wave” (1984) won both the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize and the Bollingen Prize. The long title poem was regarded as his most incredible work.
Some of his masterpieces include:
“Flow Chart,” “At North Farm,” “Some Trees,” and numerous more.
14. Marianne Moore
Marianne Moore was a poet, critic, and editor born in 1887 in Missouri. Her poetry was known for formal innovation in America’s history with the perfect blend of sarcasm and wit. Her poetry was counted as the magic of art, and hence her work shows such beauty. At times, she can be ironic and severe, adding a taste of her own.
Some of her masterpieces include:
“The mind is an enchanting thing,” “The Fish,” and many more.
15. Lucille Clifton
Lucille Clifton was a famous American poet born in 1936 in New York and is widely recognized for her poetry on racism, examining family life and gender. She was a social writer who genuinely wanted to change through her art and literature.
She won many awards, including the ‘National Book Award for Poetry,’ ‘The Ruth lily poetry prize,’ and more.
Some of her masterpieces include:
“Good Woman,” “Blessing the Boats,” “The Book of Light,” and many more.
Closing Thoughts
To learn more about National Poetry Month, the poetry collection, the congressional gold medal, and other prominent figures and events of the President of the Johnson World War, please visit the official national archive today.
So here are our top 15 Poets to follow now summarized by us. All you have to do is get motivated and read about their work, life, and contribution, as American literature is one of the few things that definitely can’t be missed.
Last Updated on by Pragya Chakrapani
