born March 3, 1926, New York, N.Y., U.S.
died Feb. 6, 1995, Tucson, Ariz.
U.S. poet.
Son of a founder of the investment firm Merrill Lynch, he attended Amherst College. Inherited wealth enabled him to devote his life to poetry. His lyric and epic poems are known for their fine craftsmanship, erudition, and wit. Many of his later works were stimulated by sessions with a Ouija board. His collections include Nights and Days (1966), the trilogy of Divine Comedies (1976, Pulitzer Prize), Mirabell: Books of Number (1978), and Scripts for the Pageant (1980), published together in The Changing Light at Sandover (1982). A Different Person , his memoir, was published in 1993. His last book of poetry, A Scattering of Salts , was published posthumously in 1995.