Levertov+Life

__**The Life of Denise Levertov:**

Early Life:__ Denise Levertov was born October 24th, 1923, in Ilford, Essex, England. Her childhood and upbringing are strongly reflected in her writing. The most prominent and turbulent aspect of her life, religion, shines through the brightest. Her family and their involvement in historic events such as WWII, had a deep and profound impact on her life and her work.

Levertov's father, Paul Levertoff, moved to England from Germany and was a Hessitic Jew. Her mother, Beatrice Spooner-Jones Levertoff, was Welsh. They met and married after Paul converetd to Christianity. Paul Levertoff then became an Anglican Parson. Thus, when Denise was born, religion was thrust upon her and she had to make very adult decisions very early in her youth. This indecision that she faced is expressed in some of her works, and the larger topic of religion itself shows up on many more occasions, in some form or another.

As a child, Levertov expressed, almost since she could talk, an enthusiasm for writing. She declared, at the age of five, that she would be a writer. By the time she turned 12, she had written many short poems and sent them off to T. S. Elliot, who responded with a letter of encouragement. By age 17, Levertov published her first official poem. Her first book, //The Double Image//, was published a short time after the Blitz in London, during which time she had worked as a nurse. Following the publishing of this work, she got married and moved to the United States. Although her marriage did not amount to much in the long run, they had a son, Nickolai, before they divorced. By 1955 she had become an American citizen and was living in New York City.

__Activism and Transformation into an American Poet:__ Her first few books were written in a traditional manner, with a more conservative or orthodox air to them in terms of the style and the format. However, as she became more and more accustomed to American culture, she developed a fascination for the American idiom. Her writing became influenced by the authors of the time such as William Carlos Williams. This influence and her transition is clearly seen in her first American book of poetry, known as //Here and Now//. What secured her reputation was the poem //With Eyes At The Back Of Our Heads,// which is a classic example of her writing style. It established her as a great American poet and her British origins were soon forgotten.

Coming from a very socially and politically active family, Levertov also became a very active representative of Womens' Rights and other liberal and leftist activities. During this time, the Vietnam War was the major issue that faced America, and Levertov seized the opportunity by making connections between the personal and political aspects of life in the 1960's and 70's. The poem //The Sorrow Dance// speaks of her sister's death; she uses personal experience to express the pain involved in death to many ignorant Americans, and portraying how destructive this war was.

Most of the latter part of Levertov's life was spent teaching and involved with education. She taught at Brandeis University upon moving to Massechusets and then at Tufts University. She also held a professorship at Stanford for 11 years. Upon retiring from teaching, she travelled around the US and England doing poetry readings.

In short, Levertov, like almost every human being, was a poet shaped by her upbringing and by the times more than anything else. Her upbringing in a war-torn society and the religious turmoil in her childhood, seconded by her dwelling in the USA during times of radical changes, led to her being a very liberal, leftist, revolutionary, and visionary poet. Her poems, although different individually, share a common thread. This thread runs through the age of activism in the US and the most destructive war in history. Her ideas are radical and her descriptions are vivid, making her a very influential and respected poet of the 20th century.

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