What Work Is

Philip Levine (1928-2015) was an American poet renowned for his depictions of working-class life in industrial Detroit, drawing from his experiences in automobile factories starting at age 14. His most notable works include What Work Is (1991 National Book Award), The Simple Truth (1995 Pulitzer Prize), and Ashes: Poems New and Old (1980 National Book Award), and he served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 2011 to 2012.