Allen Tate was an American poet, critic, and essayist, born on November 19, 1899, in Winchester, Kentucky. He was a prominent figure in the literary movement known as the Southern Agrarians, also referred to as the Fugitive Poets. Tate’s contributions to American literature are characterized by his insightful criticism, modernist poetry, and his exploration of Southern culture and identity.

Tate attended Vanderbilt University, where he became associated with a group of writers known as the Fugitives. They published a literary journal called The Fugitive, in which Tate and his contemporaries expressed their views on art, literature, and the preservation of Southern traditions.

Here are a few quotes from Allen Tate:

1. “A poem is finally a presence, not a description of it, and a man is finally a presence, not an image.”
2. “The modern man has lost the sense of mystery.”
3. “Poetry is the perpetual endeavor to express the spirit of the thing, to pass the brute body and search the life.”
4. “The purpose of art is not the release of a momentary ejection of adrenaline but is, rather, the gradual, lifelong construction of a state of wonder and serenity.”
5. “A good poet is someone who manages, in a lifetime of standing out in thunderstorms, to be struck by lightning five or six times.”

Regarding his best five books, Allen Tate’s literary contributions primarily consist of poetry and critical essays. Here are five notable works associated with him:

1. “Mr. Pope and Other Poems” (1928) – This collection marked Tate’s emergence as a significant poet, displaying his exploration of modernist techniques and themes such as alienation and identity.
2. “The Fathers” (1938) – A narrative poem that delves into the history, culture, and conflicts of the American South, offering a critical examination of Southern society.
3. “The Man of Letters in the Modern World: Selected Essays” (1955) – A collection of Tate’s critical essays on literature, culture, and the role of the writer in the modern era.
4. “Essays of Four Decades” (1969) – A compilation of Tate’s essays spanning four decades, covering topics such as literary criticism, aesthetics, and the Southern literary tradition.
5. “Collected Poems, 1919-1976” (1977) – A comprehensive collection of Tate’s poetry, encompassing his entire poetic career and showcasing his evolution as a poet.

These works demonstrate Allen Tate’s literary versatility, his deep engagement with Southern culture, and his contributions to both poetry and literary criticism. His writings continue to be appreciated for their intellectual depth and their exploration of the complexities of human experience.