Jay Parini is a poet, novelist, biographer, and critic. His five books of poetry include The Art of Subtraction:  New and Selected Poems. He has written eight novels, including Benjamin’s Crossing, The Apprentice Lover, The Passages of H.M., and The Last Station – the latter was made into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer.  He has written biographies of John Steinbeck, Robert Frost, and William Faulkner.  His non-fiction works include Why Poetry Matters and Promised Land:  Thirteen Books that Changed America.  He writes for various publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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