December 1982 Issue [Palpitations] The limits of poetic license Adjust Share The more you learn about Robert Lowell's life, the less you want to read his poems by James Wolcott, This article is only available as a PDF to subscribers. Download PDF Tags 20th century Biography Book reviews Ian Hamilton Poets, American Robert Lowell More from James Wolcott Philip Larkin’s enormous yes A connoisseur of doom whose wit refuses to die Hammett’s long goodbye A deferential biography of literature's Marlboro man The prince of finesse Nine hundred pages of criticism prove that John Updike is no air-dancing dandy Adjust Share