Denise Levertov published 1 short story collection, 16 poetry collections and 1 other book, beginning with With Eyes at the Back of Our Heads (1958). The best-known is Selected Poems (1983).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Denise Levertov
Start here
Selected Poems
Denise Levertov's most-read book.
Short story collections in order
New & Selected Essays (1992)
Poetry in order
With Eyes at the Back of Our Heads (1958)
The Jacob's Ladder (1961)
O Taste and See (1962)
Penguin Modern Poets (1962)
Relearning the Alphabet (1970)
To Stay Alive (1971)
Collected Earlier Poems 1940-1960 (1979)
Candles in Babylon (1982)
Selected Poems (1983)
Breathing the Water (1987)
Poems 1968-1972 (1987)
Door in the Hive, A (1989)
Tesserae (1995)
Sands of the Well (1996)
This Great Unknowing (1999)
The Collected Poems of Denise Levertov (2013)
Other books in order
Freeing of the Dust, The (1975)
About Denise Levertov
Priscilla Denise Levertov was a British-born naturalised American poet. She was heavily influenced by the Black Mountain poets and by the political context of the Vietnam War, which she explored in her poetry book The Freeing of the Dust. She was a recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Denise Levertov FAQ
- How many books has Denise Levertov written?
- Denise Levertov published 1 short story collection, 16 poetry collections and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Denise Levertov's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Selected Poems.
- What is Denise Levertov's last book?
- New & Selected Essays (1992).
- What is Denise Levertov's most famous book?
- Selected Poems (1983) is Denise Levertov's most widely read book.
Authors like Denise Levertov
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.