Frank Bidart (born May 27, 1939) is an American poet renowned for his originality and uncompromising approach to verse. His collections, including Golden State, The Sacrifice, and Desire, explore themes of guilt, identity, and the complexities of human experience.
Bidart’s poetry is characterized by dramatic monologues and unique typography, pushing the boundaries of poetic conventions. His work has earned him numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Bidart’s profound and introspective poetry continues to captivate readers with its raw honesty and emotional intensity.
‘Ellen West’ by Frank Bidart is a long poem capturing the life-defining moments of Ellen West, a woman who was the signature case for existential analysis in the 19th century. The poem is narrated majorly by West herself, with her doctor Ludwig Binswanger intermittently rendering a clinical analysis of her behaviour.
I love sweets,—
heaven
would be dying on a bed of vanilla ice cream . . .
But my true self
is thin, all profile
‘Song’ by Frank Bidart is a short poem exploring the transience of life and subtlety of death through hibernation.
Crawl in. Whatever for good or ill
grows within you needs
you for a time to cease to exist.
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