The remarkable first two books of poetry by the Pulitzer Prize finalist and former U.S. poet laureate—now combined in a single volume with a new preface by the author
Award-winning poet Robert Pinsky’s first two collections—Sadness And Happiness and An Explanation of America—announced the arrival of a major new voice in American poetry. Now, these acclaimed books are presented together in a single volume featuring a new preface by the author, introducing a new generation of readers to the groundbreaking early work of a beloved poet. Sadness And Happiness explores everyday subjects such as the streets and oceanfront of Pinsky’s hometown of Long Branch, New Jersey, while the long title poem of An Explanation of America examines personal and national myths as it transports readers across the country.
Price: $19.95
Pages: 184
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Publication Date:
26 May 2026
ISBN: 9780691278230
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
POETRY / American / General, Poetry by individual poets, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / General, Modern and contemporary poetry (c 1900 onwards)
Robert Pinsky is an award-winning American poet, essayist, and translator. He has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for poetry and the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. He served for three terms as the U.S. Poet Laureate, during which time he founded the Favorite Poem Project. His many books include On Poetry, Culture, and Democracy (Princeton), the memoir Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet, and the poetry collections Proverbs of Limbo, At the Foundling Hospital, and Selected Poems. His bestselling translation of Dante’s Inferno won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Among his other awards and honors are the William Carlos Williams Award, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the PEN/Voelcker Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the PEN American Center. He is distinguished professor emeritus of English and creative writing at Boston University.
