author
Henry Taylor
A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, translator, and teacher, this Virginia writer was known for clear, thoughtful poems rooted in ordinary life. His work balances wit, memory, and close attention to the natural world.
1 Audiobook
The Marylebone Penny Readings and Their Critics
by Henry Taylor
About the author
Born in Lincoln, Virginia, in 1942, Henry Taylor became one of the best-known American poets of his generation. He studied at the University of Virginia and Hollins University, and went on to build a long career as a poet, translator, and academic.
His books include The Horse Show at Midnight, An Afternoon of Pocket Billiards, Understanding Fiction, and Crooked Run. He received the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for The Flying Change, a collection often praised for its plainspoken style and emotional precision.
Taylor also translated poetry and taught for many years at American University. He died in 2024, leaving behind a body of work admired for its intelligence, warmth, and steady attention to everyday experience.