Karl Jay Shapiro (1913-2000) was an American poet and author of 10 poetry collections. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1945.while still in the military. Shapiro was appointed American Poet Laureate in 1946 and 1947. His verse ranges from passionately physical love to lyrics to sharp social satire. Shapiro first came to critical attention in 1942 with Person. Place and Thing. (Reynal & Hitchcock, 1942). This was his first regularly published book and consists of fifty-one poems presented in three sections. Hardcover with mylar protected dust jacket; second ptg., 88 pp.; inscribed and signed; typescript copy of a 1965 lecture entitled "The Present State of Literary Publishing" presented to a Library of Congress Symposium laid in, Dust Jacket is soiled with edge wear; pages lightly browned; binding loosening but still intact. The lecture typescript is unevenly horizontally folded with edge wear, first page browned, and doodling on back of last page.
The book is inscribed and signed for Louis D. Rubin. Jr. Rubin (1923-2013) was an American literary scholar and critic, writing teacher, poet, and author. He taught for many years, first at Hollins College (now University) in Virginia and later at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Rubin is credited with helping establish Southern Literature as a legitimate field in American literature and the founding of Algonquin Press which has become nationally known for publishing Southern authors.