I don't know how popular Kunitz is among the readership, but I thought he was a complete stud. Five years ago in Charlottesville, he gave (at 95) one of the most moving readings I've attended. Here's a timely bit from the Times obit:
In 1987, when Mr. Kunitz was 81, Gov. Mario M. Cuomo appointed him to a two-year term as the official New York State Poet. Writing for state occasions was not a requirement, but Mr. Kunitz would have been reluctant to in any case. "The poet is not in the service of the state," he said of his official post. "On the contrary, he defends the solitary conscience as opposed to the great power structure of the superstate."
To anyone looking for an entry point, I recommend this New and Selected collection. (I've been stealing from "The Wellfleet Whale" for years.)
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