Poems Old and New, 1918-1978 — 1981 ·

By Janet Lewis

“[Lewis’s] taste, unerring both with words and with acquaintances, is timeless, and her themes so wisely chosen at the start that we find no awkward or abrupt transitions. Decades do not distinguish themselves. The channels of her thought are seamless, deep, and pure.”

Christian Herve — Christian Science Monitor Book Review

“Like short, sharp gusts of forest air, the lyrics of Janet Lewis are brief, crisp, and refreshing reminders of nature's powers.”

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Kenneth Rexroth wrote: “Janet Lewis uses reason to veil and adorn the flesh of feeling and intuition. This is the way the greatest poetry has always been written.”

The poems in this collection range over a period of 60 years. The style is spare, direct, cutting to the core of subject. Richness of intelligence and a concern for the human has also characterized every phase of Lewis’ development.

Janet Lewis wrote many books of poetry and historical fiction. She was married to the poet and critic Yvor Winters. Lewis died in 1998 at the age of 99.