“Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry.”

American poet

Mary Oliver was an American poet whose work reached wide audiences, and who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and the National Book Award in 1992. She is known for poetry shaped by close attention to the natural world. Her writing draws much of its force from nature, solitary walks, and a lasting sense of wonder. It is marked by vivid images, spiritual feeling, and plain language, qualities that made her one of the best-selling poets in American history.