Publisher's Synopsis
Robert Penn Warren, the first U.S. PoetLaureate, has received every honor this country can bestow on a writer. Warrenhas written fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and has proven to be one of themost versatile writers in modern times. Now, seven original essays on Warren'swriting, written by leading scholars and students, have been brought togetherin one volume.In Warren's fiction sloth, or acedia, is the deadliest of sins. FrancesBixler examines this theme as it courses through five novels. WorldEnough and Time and The Cave both are analyzed inchapters of their own. Warren's volume of poetry Altitudes and Extensions isgiven a close reading, while his nonfiction works, particularly TheLegacy of the Civil War and Jefferson Davis Gets His CitizenshipBack , are also critiqued.The breadth and depth of Robert Penn Warren's canon of work are illustratedby the essays collected by James A. Grimshaw, Jr. Although many books have beenwritten on Warren and his work, to cover such a wide range of his work in onevolume is a rare achievement.James A. Grimshaw, Jr., is a professor in, and head of, the Department ofLiterature and Languages at East Texas State University. His publicationsinclude Robert Penn Warren: A Descriptive Bibliography andRobert Penn Warren's "Brother to Dragons": ADiscussion .
