Howard Nemerov

'Nemerov's contribution to our literature--as a gifted writer of fiction and critical prose, but pre-eminently as a poet-- does not seem to me to have received as much celebrity as it deserves. Nemerov's virtues are all in fact unfashionable ones for our time: vivid intelligence, an irreverent sense of humor, a mastery of formal verse, an awareness of mystery' ('Books' 3). Although known primarily as a poet, Howard Nemerov has also distinguished himself as a critic, short story writer, and novelist. With nearly four dozen published works, Howard Nemerov has become one of America's most d…