And yet, in a culture like ours, which is given to material comforts, and addicted to forms of entertainment that offer immediate gratification, it is surprising that so much poetry is written.

He served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress during the 1990–1991 term. Since 2005–06 he has been a professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. Strand then studied painting under Josef Albers at Yale University where he earned a B.

He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990. Since 2005–06 he has been a professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. Mark Strand (born 11 April 1934) is a Canadian-born American poet essayist and translator.