Robert Hass

Most readers first encounter him through "Meditation at Lagunitas," a poem from his 1979 collection *Praise*, which has become one of the most frequently anthologized American poems of the late twentieth century. Beyond this poem, he's recognized for a body of work that combines a lyrical focus on nature with philosophical insights, as well as for translating haiku masters and Czesław Miłosz.

His collection *Time and Materials: Poems 1997–2005* won the National Book Award in 2007 and shared the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2008. In 2014, he was honored with the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets, which celebrates exceptional and demonstrated skill in the craft of poetry.

Yes. He was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997. During his tenure, he actively promoted poetry, emphasizing its connection to environmental issues and advocating for poetry education in schools.

On the surface, it's a poem about desire and loss, but it dives deeper into the nature of language — exploring the distance between a word and what it represents, along with the cost of that distance. It begins with a philosophical assertion about specificity and generalization before transforming that concept into something deeply felt, erotic, and poignant. This poem both thinks and aches simultaneously.

Hass grew up in San Francisco and has spent most of his life in the Bay Area. The unique ecology of coastal California — including its chaparral, fog, and distinct light — is not just a backdrop in his work but a central focus. He identifies plants and birds with remarkable accuracy, and this strong connection to the landscape prevents even his most abstract poems from drifting off.

He is a solid pick. His poems are often long and conversational instead of short and cryptic. They draw you in slowly, weaving through observation, memory, and thought, making the experience feel more like reading an excellent essay than trying to solve a puzzle. "Meditation at Lagunitas" is a good example to explore that.

He worked closely with Polish poet Czesław Miłosz for decades, translating Miłosz's work into English. He also created *The Essential Haiku* (1994), which features translations of Bashō, Buson, and Issa — the three main figures in the Japanese haiku tradition. This deep engagement with compression and imagism significantly influenced his own poetry.

*Twentieth Century Pleasures* (1984) gathers his essays on poets such as Rilke, Tranströmer, and Robert Lowell. This book stands out as a rare gem of literary criticism that's truly enjoyable to read. He approaches poems with genuine affection, focusing on sound, rhythm, and those pivotal moments of transformation, rather than merely discussing themes and biographies.