Louise Glück Biography

American poet Louise Glück has won several literary prizes for her work since the 1960s, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2020.

From 2003 to 2004, she was Poet Laureate of the United States.

From Long Island, New York, Glück attended Sarah Lawrence College in 1962 and was a non-degree student at Columbia University from 1963 through 1966.

She was studying as a special student in 1968 when her first collection was published, Firstborn. Her second collection, 1975’s The House on Marshland, established her as a major poet.

Known for austerity and technical precision, and themes of isolation, sadness and emotional trauma, Glück has published many books and won dozens of honors.

Much of her work is informed by Greek mythology.

Her poem “Mock Orange” has been anthologized many times as something of a feminist statement.

Her collection The Wild Iris (1992) won the Pulitzer Prize, and Faithful and Virtuous Night (2014) won the National Book Award.

Glück’s other books include The Garden (1976), Descending Figure (1980), The Triumph of Achilles (1985), The Seven Ages (2001) and A Village Life (2009).