Louis Zukofsky (1904-1978)

A selective list of online literary criticism for American objectivist poet Louis Zukofsky, favoring signed articles by recognized scholars and articles published in peer-reviewed sources


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introduction & biography

Bernstein, Charles. "Introduction to Louis Zukofsky: Selected Poems." An extended article by a noted Language Poet, considers Zukofsky's relationship to his modernist predecessors. Jacket 30 (July 2006).

O'Leary, Peter. "The Energies of Words: How Poetry's legendary 1931 Objectivist issue came to be, from Pound's harangues to Zukofsky's essays." Poetry Foundation.

Scroggins, Mark. "A Biographical Essay on Louis Zukofsky." On Zukofsky as an Objectivist, the influence of Ezra Pound, Zukofsky's "A," and his other writings. From Louis Zukofsky and the Poetry of Knowledge (1998). Modern American Poetry (U of Illinois).

"Program: 'Objectivists' 1931." The first page of the 1931 edition of Poetry, edited by Zukofsky. Poetry Foundation.

"Louis Zukofsky." Ed. Mark Scroggins. Contains articles on "Mantis" by Joseph Conte, John Taggart, Mark Scroggins, Susan Vanderborg, and Michael Davidson. Modern American Poetry (U of Illinois).

"Louis Zukofsky." An introduction to Louis Zukofsky, with links to other Objectivist poets. Academy of American Poets.

"Louis Zukofsky." An introduction from the Poetry Foundation.

"Vessels of Light." "Louis Zukofsky has been called the most influential poet you've never heard of," says literary editor Robert Leiter. Jewish Exponent, 10 Jan. 2008.

Lewis, Leon. "Louis Zukofsky." An introduction to Zukofsky, from the Literary Encyclopedia 5 January 2005 [subscription service].


literary criticism

Beyers, Chris. "Louis Zukofsky in Kentucky in History." College Literature 30, 4 (Fall 2003) [subscription service].

Breslin, Glenna. "Between Niedecker and Zukofsky, an Excerpt." A short article on the letters exchanged between poet Lorine Niedecker and Louis Zukofsky. HOW(ever) 2, 1 (November 1984).

Cook, Albert. "Metrical inventions: Zukofsky and Merwin." College Literature 24, 3 (Oct. 1997) [free at jstor].

Dembo, L.S. "Louis Zukofsky: Objectivist Poetics and the Quest for Form." American Literature 44, 1 (March, 1972) [preview or purchase at jstor].

Foley, Jack. "Louis Zukofsky: A Poet Worth Fighting For." On Zukofsky's connection (or not) with Language Poetry. Poetry Bay, Fall 2007.

Heller, Michael. "Louis Zukofsky's Objectivist Poetics: Reflections and Extensions" and "The Poetry of Louis Zukofsky: To Draw Speech." In Conviction's Net of Branches: Essays on the Objectivist Poets and Poetry (1985) [subscription service].

Lang, Abigail. "Lang: The Remembering Words or «how zukofsky used words»." Jacket 30 (July 2006).

Scroggins, Mark. A review of The Poem of a Life: A Biography of Louis Zukofsky (2007) Reviewed by August Kleinzahler in London Review of Books, Dec. 2007.

Rothenberg, Jerome. "Louis Zukofsky: A Reminiscence." Jacket 30 (July 2006).

Stephens, Paul. "Zukofsky, Aristotle, Objectivism, Biology." Jacket 30 (July 2006).

Turquety, Benoît. "'Our St. Matthew Passion': Louis Zukofsky & Film." Turquety traces Zukofsky's interest in the cinema, contending that "film has been, at a certain time, an important tool for Zukofsky's development as a poet and a critic." Jacket 30 (July 2006).

Woods, Tim. "Zukofsky at Columbia." On Zukofsky’s student years at Columbia University, his teachers, influences, and early poetry. Jacket 30 (July 2006).


web sites

Louis Zukofsky Readings. Audio files of Zukofsky reading his own poetry. Many poems. PennSound.

"Feature: Zukofsky." A special collection of essays on Louis Zukofsky from the best open access journal on the internet, Jacket magazine. Some are cataloged here. Jacket 30 (July 2006).

Twitchell-Waas, Jeff. "Z-site: A Companion to the Works of Louis Zukofsky." Contents include Editor's Notes, Notes to "A", Notes to Poetry, Notes to Prose, Bibliographies & Research, Textual Notes, Zukofsky Chronology.

"Louis Zukofsky." An Inventory of His Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center.

"Louis Zukofsky Papers." A description of the Zukofsky MSS at the Kansas State U library.


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