Selected Poems

A superb collection of poems by the Pulitzer Prize–winning poet.

This new collection of Carl Sandburg’s iconic American poetry, which includes four previously unpublished Lincoln poems, contains selections from all of Sandburg’s previous volumes. This treasury of accessible free verse poetry supports MacLeish’s confidence in the breadth of Sandburg’s scope and is designed for general readers and for students alike.

In more than 150 poems, arranged in eleven sections—from his famous poems about Chicago to powerful poems of protest and tributes to Lincoln—readers can see what Sandburg was made of and, in turn, what the poet saw in the American people. This remarkable collection of working-class poetry reflects Sandburg’s aim to write "simple poems...which continue to have an appeal for simple people," and throughout his life the poet strove to maintain that important connection.

This collection features such poems as:

• "Chicago"
• "Grass"
• "Arithmetic"
• "A Father to His Son"
• "A Dream Girl"
• "The Long Shadow of Lincoln: A Litany"

Edited and with an Introduction by George and Willene Hendrick. The Hendricks, in their thoughtful and comprehensive introduction, discuss how Sandburg’s life and beliefs colored his work and why that work resonates with Americans today.