Richard Hugo was born in Seattle, Washington. He received a public school education and, like most young men of his generation, was called to military duty during World War II. Hugo served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a bombardier, and his wartime experiences became the inspiration for many fine poems. He attended the University of Washington, where he received his B.A. (1948) and his M.A. (1952) and then took a job with Boeing Aircraft Corporation. After nearly thirteen years with Boeing, he accepted a position as a professor of English at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana, and he has directed creative writing programs at the University of Montana and the University of Colorado. Among his honors are the Northwest Writers Award (1966) and a Rockefeller Foundation grant (1967).

Hugo is a poet of scenes, of memorable landscapes and seascapes. His voice is particularly Western, yet...