John Ciardi was a distinguished poet and professor, having taught at Harvard and Rutgers universities, and a poetry editor of The Saturday Review. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. In 1955 he won the Harriet Monroe Memorial Award, and in 1956, the Prix de Rome. He died in 1986.
Set in New York City in 1938, this is a sophisticated and entertaining debut novel about an irresistible young woman with an uncommon sense of purpose. Read an excerpt. Listen to a podcast.