Böcker av Edwin Arlington Robinson

The Arthurian CycleMerlin | Lancelot | TristramEdwin Arlington RobinsonDuring the era of the First World War, and in the decade thereafter, the American poet Edwin Arlington Robinson composed a cycle of epic narrative poems, written in blank verse, that were arguably modern in style but drew upon classic themes in substance. With the unfolding tragedy of a world at war top of mind, Robinson began what would become a trilogy based on the legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Merlin, the first work in Robinson's Arthurian cycle, was published in 1917. Robinson's Merlin is no magician, certainly not as modern audiences have come to know him. Rather, he is a mortal man grappling with human experiences; his love for the lady Vivian and the prospect of a world going mad. Lancelot followed in 1920. At their core, Merlin and Lancelot are both war poems, with the gathering storm of the former foreshadowing the chaos and destruction of the latter, depicted in the tragic outcome of the relationship between Lancelot and Guinevere. An interval of seven years would pass before the publication of Tristram, the third work in Robinson's trilogy. During this interval, Edwin Arlington Robinson would win the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry twice; first for his Collected Poems (published in 1921), and again for The Man Who Died Twice (published in 1924). With Tristram (published in 1927), Edwin Arlington Robinson would at last reap hard-won financial rewards for his work. Tristram also won Robinson his third Pulitzer Prize. Edwin Arlington Robinson's Arthurian cycle reflects the poet's most mature work. With Merlin and Lancelot, Robinson recounts the human cost of war as seen through the eyes of those characters in the Arthurian legends. Robinson's Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere, and King Arthur, as well as the supporting characters central to their portrayal, are all rendered in flesh and blood, their words and deeds rooted in the vicissitudes of mortal life. Where Merlin and Lancelot are war poems, Tristram is a poem about love. With Tristram, Robinson recounts the love story of Tristram, and his return, and of Isolt; "Isolt of the white hands, in Brittany." Theirs is a love as doomed in life as the inevitability of death.

Merlin: A Poem, has been considered important throughout human history. In an effort to ensure that this work is never lost, we have taken steps to secure its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for both current and future generations. This complete book has been retyped, redesigned, and reformatted. Since these books are not scans of the authors' original publications, the text is readable and clear.

A selection of poems by American poet E.A. Robinson, perhaps best remembered in Britain for his New England character sketches. His volumes of poetry include "The Torrent", "The Night Before" and "The Children of the Night".

The letters begin when the 27-year-old poet writes gratefully to the stranger who has expressed appreciation of his first book of poems. Soon he was carrying on an intense correspondence with the woman he described as "infernally bright and not at all ugly," and "too old to give me a chance to bother myself with any sentimental uneasiness."