Denise Levertov, (born October 24, 1923, Ilford, Essex [now in Greater London], England—died December 20, 1997, Seattle, Washington, U.S.), English-born American poet, essayist, and political activist who wrote deceptively matter-of-fact verse on both personal and political themes. Levertov’s father was an immigrant Russian Jew who converted to Christianity, married a Welsh woman, and became an Anglican clergyman. Educated entirely at home, Levertov became a civilian nurse during World War II, serving in London throughout the bombings. Her first volume of verse, The Double Image (1946), was not very successful. She married the American writer Mitchell Goodman in 1947, moved with