A selective list of literary criticism for Robert Lowell, favoring signed articles by recognized scholars, articles published in reviewed sources, and web sites that adhere to the MLA Guidelines for Web Sites
main page | 20th-century literature | 20th-century poetry | about literaryhistory.com
Axelrod, Stephen. An introduction to Robert Lowell from the Literary Encyclopedia, 30 March 2001.
Axelrod, Stephen (ed.) Publisher's blurb for Robert Lowell: Essays on the Poetry (Cambridge, 1989)
Bawer, Bruce. A review of Bawer's The Middle Generation: the Lives and Poetry of Delmore Schwartz, Randall Jarrell, John Berryman, and Robert Lowell. "Bawer's uneven first book, a literary study based on a dissertation and apparently completed in 1983, is less lively and sophisticated than his recent reviews in The New Criterion." Reviewed in National Review, March 27, 1987, by Jeffrey Meyers
Beam, Alex. "The Mad Poets Society." An article about McLean Hospital in Massachusetts "once America's most literary mental institution," where confessional poets Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, and Anne Sexton spent time. In the Atlantic Monthly, July/August 2001 (removed)
Davidson, Peter. On the circumstances surrounding Lowell's writing "For the Union Dead." In the Atlantic Monthly, 2001 (removed)
Falck, Colin. "Overtrained for Poetry: Recent Books by Robert Lowell" in Poetry Nation 2, 1974
Gray, Jeffrey "Fear of Flying: Robert Lowell and Travel," in Papers on Language and Literature, Winter 2005
Hamilton, Saskia (ed.) "Mad, good and dangerous to know," a review of The Letters of Robert Lowell in The Spectator Jul 9, 2005, reviewed by Sam Leith.
Kenner, Hugh. A review of Kenner's Manic power: Robert Lowell and his circle. National Review, Dec 31, 1987
Kirsch, Adam. "Reconsiderations: 'Life Studies' by Robert Lowell" On Lowell and confessional poetry. NY Sun, June 18, 2008.
Lindsay, Geoffrey. "Drama and dramatic strategies in Robert Lowell's Notebook 1967-68." In Twentieth Century Literature, Spring, 1998
Longenbach, James. "The Unfinishable Robert Lowell," a review of Lowell's Collected Poems, edited by Frank Bidart and David Gewanter (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). In Boston Review, 28,3 (Summer 2003)
Mariani, Paul. One author to another: from The Letters of Robert Lowell in ArtForum, April, 2005
Mariani, Paul. A review of Mariani's Lost Puritan: A Life Of Robert Lowell (Norton) Reviewed by Don Share in Boston Review, Oct/Nov 1994
Mariani, Paul. Another review of Lost Puritan: A Life of Robert Lowell Insight on the News, Oct 17, 1994 by Tom Clark
Reuben, Paul P. A primary and secondary bibliography for Robert Lowell from Dr. Reuben's bibliography site
Williamson, Alan. A review of Williamson's Pity the Monsters: The Political Vision of Robert Lowell (Yale, 1975). "Pity the Monsters is a work of original, imaginative clarification, full of brilliant argument and dense with intuition." In Poetry Nation 5, 1975, reviewed by James Atlas
Williamson, Alan. Looking back at Robert Lowell. Discusses Lost Puritan: A Life of Robert Lowell by Paul Mariani; and Robert Lowell's Life and Work: Damaged Grandeur by Richard Tillinghast. In American Poetry Review, May 1995
A substantial, encyclopedia-type introduction to Robert Lowell, from the Poetry Foundation.
"'A Life's Study' Why Robert Lowell is America's most important career poet." By A.O. Scott in Slate, 6/20/03
Biography of Robert Lowell from the Modern American Poetry site (Univ. of Illinois)
The Modern American Poetry site on Robert Lowell has excerpts from reputable critical articles on the following poems: Man and Wife, Memories of West Street and Lepke, Skunk Hour, Inauguration Day, A Mad Negro Soldier Confined at Munich, Commander Lowell, For the Union Dead, The Mouth of the Hudson, July in Washington, The March I, The March II, Central Park (Univ. of Illinois)
Overview of Robert Lowell, with links to several reviews of his books, from the U.K. Guardian
Some suggestions for teaching Robert Lowell from Heath Guides
Introduction to Robert Lowell and selections from his poetry, from the Poetry Foundation.
A succinct summary of modern American poetry discusses Lowell's importance, from the Academy of American Poets site
"Kenyon celebrates Robert Lowell" by Dan Laskin in Kenyon College Alumni Bulletin, Winter/Spring 1999
A short biography of Jean Stafford provides some details about her disastrous marriage to Robert Lowell
An introduction to Lowell from publisher Random House
A 1967 article in The Atlantic Monthly contends that of all the American poets under 50, the two most likely to be the major poets of our time are Robert Lowell and James Dickey (removed)
main page | 20th-century literature | 20th-century poetry | about literaryhistory.com
1998-2009 by Jan Pridmore