The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens: The Corrected Edition

What is the relationship between imagination and reality? Wallace Stevens' Collected Poems presents the complete poetic works of one of America's greatest modernist poets—a philosopher-poet who explored how imagination creates meaning in a world without transcendent certainties. Stevens (1879-1955) lived a double life as a successful insurance executive and a major poet, writing verse that investigates the nature of reality, the power of imagination, the search for order and beauty, and the possibility of finding meaning through art in a secular age. His poetry combines philosophical depth with sensuous imagery, abstract meditation with vivid particulars, creating a unique voice that is both intellectually rigorous and aesthetically rich. Harold Bloom called him "the best and most representative American poet."

This complete collection includes all the poems Stevens wished to preserve: Harmonium (including "Sunday Morning," "The Snow Man," "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"); Ideas of Order; The Man with the Blue Guitar; Parts of a World; Transport to Summer; The Auroras of Autumn; and The Rock. Stevens' poetry explores how imagination shapes reality, how we create order and meaning through perception and language, and how beauty and art offer consolation in a world without religious certainty. His voice is meditative, playful, and profoundly philosophical, combining lush imagery with abstract thought, celebrating the physical world while exploring consciousness and meaning.

For contemplative readers, Stevens' poetry offers profound meditation on imagination, reality, and the search for meaning. His work asks: How do we create meaning in a secular world? What is the relationship between mind and world, imagination and reality? How does art console us and give life order? What is the nature of perception and consciousness? How do we find beauty and significance in ordinary experience? Stevens' verse becomes a companion for philosophical contemplation—exploring how imagination, perception, and language create the reality we inhabit and the meanings we live by.

What You'll Discover
Stevens' complete collected poems (1879-1955)
Famous works: "Sunday Morning," "The Snow Man," "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"
Poetry exploring imagination, reality, and the creation of meaning
Philosophical meditations on art, beauty, and consciousness
Contemplative insights into perception, order, and secular transcendence
America's greatest philosophical poet

Wallace Stevens (1879-1955) was born in Pennsylvania and spent his career as an insurance executive in Hartford, Connecticut, while simultaneously creating one of the twentieth century's most important bodies of poetry. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1955. Stevens' dual life as businessman and poet gave him a unique perspective on imagination's role in ordinary life. This corrected edition, edited by Stevens scholars John N. Serio and Christopher Beyers, presents the definitive text of all the poems Stevens intended to preserve.

Perfect for: Readers of modernist poetry and American literature, students of Wallace Stevens and philosophical poetry, contemplative readers exploring imagination and reality, those interested in aesthetics and the philosophy of art, anyone drawn to intellectually demanding and beautifully crafted poetry, readers of secular spirituality and meaning-making, students of 20th-century American poetry and modernist thought.

Paperback edition. Stevens' complete collected poems—offering contemplative wisdom on imagination, reality, and the creation of meaning through the voice of America's greatest philosophical poet.