Ira Sadoff's initial style and approach to his subjects--his characteristic erasures and retreats--seem largely influenced by the psychological and political zeitgeist reflected in the work of many American poets in the 1970s. Shaped by the influences of the "new internationalism" in poetry, and accompanied by a renaissance of translations from Spanish, French, and East European cultures, this particular style has been called the "deep image" or "new surrealist" movement. Among the earlier practitioners of this style--those writers a generation or two older than Sadoff--were prominent and influential American poets such as James Wright, W.S. Merwin, and Mark Strand.

Ira Sadoff was born on 7 March 1945 in Brooklyn to Robert (a pianist) and Yvette Sadoff. He attended Cornell University (B.A., 1966) and did graduate work at the University of Oregon (M.F.A., 1968). On 29 July 1968 he married Dianne Fallon, a professor. He served as an instructor of English at...