The Best of the Best American Poetry 1988-1997 [SEP] editor
The Best of the Best American Poetry 1988-1997
The Best of the Best American Poetry 1988-1997, a volume in "The Best American Poetry series", was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Harold Bloom, who chose the poems.
Bloom selected poems from every entry in the series through 1997, with the exception of the 1996 volume, edited by Adrienne Rich. Bloom criticized the 1996 issue in his introductory essay, claiming that Rich had selected poems based on the "race, gender,
the year: for instance, "The Best American Poetry 1988".
According to the Academy of American Poets Web site, ""Best American Poetry" remains one of the most popular and best-selling poetry books published each year and the series continues to provide a bird's-eye view of the breadth of American poetry."
A compendium for the first decade of the series has also been published, "The Best of the Best American Poetry 1988-1997", guest-edited by literary critic Harold