The First Four Books of Poems collects the early work that established Louise
Gluck as one of America's most original and important poets. Honored with the
Pulitzer Prize for The WildIris, Gluck was celebrated early in her career for
her fierce, austerely beautiful voice. InFirstborn, The House on Marshland Wand,
Descending Figure, and The Triumph of Achilles, which wonthe National Book
Critics Circle Award for Poetry, we see the conscious progression of apoet who
speaks with blade-like accuracy and stirring depth.