The Life of Robert Frost presents a unique and rich approach to the poet that includes original genealogical research concerning Frost's ancestors, and a demonstration of how mental illness plagued the Frost family and heavily influenced Frost's poetry.

• A widely revealing biography of Frost that discusses his often perplexing journey from humble roots to poetic fame, revealing new details of Frost's life
• Takes a unique approach by giving attention to Frost's genealogy and the family history of mental illness, presenting a complete picture of Frost's complexity
• Discusses the traumatic effect on Frost of his father's early death and the impact on his poetry and outlook
• Presents original information on the influence of his mother's Swedenborgian mysticism

HENRY HART is currently the Mildred and J. B. Hickman Professor of Humanities at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He has published several books of literary criticism about modern poets, including The Poetry of Geoffrey Hill (1986), Seamus Heaney: Poet of Contrary Progressions (1991), Robert Lowell and the Sublime (1995), and The James Dickey Reader (1999). From 1984 to 2004, he was an editor of Verse, an international journal of contemporary poetry.