I.

Introduction

Ezra Pound (1885-1972), American poet, critic, editor, and translator, considered one of the foremost American literary figures of the 20th century. Pound was a chief architect of English and American literary modernism, a movement characterized by experimentation in literary form and content, exploration of the literary traditions of non-Western and ancient cultures, and rejection of the traditions of the immediate past.

As a poet, Pound experimented with various verse forms, from short poems focusing on concrete images to his epic masterpiece, the Cantos, a wide-ranging series of poems combining ancient and modern history with Pound’s personal reflections and experiences. As a critic and editor, Pound discovered and encouraged many experimental authors, including Irish writer James Joyce, English poet T. S. Eliot, and American writers Robert Frost and Ernest Hemingway. As an essayist, he wrote manifestos establishing influential principles of style and theme.