Paul Metcalf (1917-1999) is the widely acclaimed author of Genoa, Wild West, Patagoni, The Middle Passage, Apalache, and other works of verse and prose, noting his works generally defies classification. He was the great-grandson of Herman Melville, and studied writing with Conrad Aiken and Charles Olson.
For more on Metcalf’s work, see this Jacket review of his Collected Works (Coffee House Press, 1997).
