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W. S. Merwin: The 'Sirius' Side Of Poetry

W.S. Merwin won his second Pulitzer Prize for poetry on April 20 for The Shadow Of Sirius.

In a 2008 interview, Merwin read a few of his poems and talked about memory, mortality and acceptance in his poetry.

Merwin has published over 20 books of poetry and almost 20 books of translation. He won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1971 for The Carrier Of Ladders. Known in the 1960s as an anti-war poet, Merwin is now an environmental activist who speaks out about restoring the rain forests of Hawaii.

This interview originally aired Dec. 16, 2008.

Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

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