The Shadow of Sirius

Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Mysteries of light, darkness, temporality, and eternity interweave throughout W.S. Merwin's celebrated collection of poems, The Shadow of Sirius. "I have only what I remember," Merwin admits, and his memories are focused and profound--Pennsylvania miners and neighborhood streetcars, a conversation with a boyhood teacher or deceased parent, the distinct qualities of autumnal light and gentle rain, well-cultivated loves, and "our long evenings and astonishment." From the universe's contradictions, Merwin once again calls upon the unexpected to illuminate existence.