Charles Wright (poet)

Charles Wright (born August 25, 1935) is an American poet, widely recognized for his lyricism, imagery, and explorations of landscape, particularly the American South and Italy. He is a recipient of the National Book Award (1983, Country Music: Selected Early Poems), the Pulitzer Prize (1998, Black Zodiac), and the National Book Critics Circle Award (2014, Littlefoot).

Wright's work is often characterized by a meditative tone, reflecting on themes of memory, loss, spirituality, and the relationship between the individual and the natural world. His poems frequently employ long, flowing lines and vivid descriptions of light and color. Influences include Ezra Pound, Dante, and Asian poetic traditions.

He served in the United States Army intelligence from 1957 to 1960. He earned a B.A. from Davidson College and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. He taught at the University of Iowa, the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Virginia, where he was Souder Family Professor of English until his retirement.

Major works include The Grave of the Right Hand (1970), China Trace (1977), The Southern Cross (1981), Country Music: Selected Early Poems (1983), Zone Journals (1988), Chickamauga (1995), Black Zodiac (1997), Negative Blue: Selected Later Poems (2000), Buffalo Yoga (2004), Sestets (2009), Littlefoot (2013), and Oblivion Banjo: New and Selected Poems (2019). He has also published translations, essays, and autobiographical writings. His contributions to American poetry have been significant and enduring.