WORTHINGTON, Mass., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Ezra Pound said "poetry should be as well-written as prose," and Robert Bagg takes that premise to heart with his powerful poems that describe people at risk: in physical danger, or in crises of friendship, passion, self-definition, betrayal, competition, or moral principle -- all situations where the stakes are high.

Bagg's new collection, "Horsegod: Collected Poems" (published by Trafford Publishing), is constructed so the poems progress chronologically, from the adventures of early childhood through those of adult passion and maturity. Into this sequence he brings passages from Greek poets and playwrights and remembrances from his life, revisiting traditional forms like the sonnet sequence, sung ballad, blank verse monologue and narrative in rhymed Spenserian stanzas. Most of Bagg's poems have a story at their heart, such as "The Tandem Ride," "Cap d'Antibes," "Epidauros," and "Cello Suite."

"I believe poets should take political, philosophical, and religious stands when there's poetry to be found in them," Bagg says, and he takes such stands in "Belief," "An Ancient Quarrel," "Budapest," and "Chimeras." "I want my poetry to give pleasure, make accessible prose sense, and engage what matters most in my life in the hope it will also matter to my readers."

About the Author

After graduating from Amherst College, Robert Bagg spent two years with his wife and young family in France and Italy hanging out with the expats and natives, immersing himself in two sophisticated ancient cultures. There he wrote his first book of poems, Madonna of the Cello (Wesleyan University Press, 1961), a finalist for both the Pulitzer and National Book Award. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of Connecticut and taught at the University of Massachusetts, mostly Romantic and modern poetry and Great Books. His translations of eight plays by Euripides and Sophocles have been staged in 60 productions worldwide. Bagg has held Prix de Rome, Ingram Merrill, Guggenheim, Rockefeller, NEA, and NEH fellowships and has published five books of poems. He lives in western Massachusetts with his second wife and frequent co-author Mary Bagg. He is currently writing a critical biography of the poet Richard Wilbur.

"Horsegod: Collected Poems"

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