This is the first selection of Margaret Avison's poems, spanning a distinguished career from the 1950s to the present. One of Canada's greatest poets, twice winner of the Governor-General's Award for poetry, Avison is an introspective modern poet with roots in the 17th-century traditions of metaphysical and meditational poetry. Her complex and demanding work is admired by a younger generation of poets and critics for its originality and versatility. Her recent work records her conversion to Christianity, which now informs all her poetry. Selected Poems is an essential book for anyone interested in Canadian literature and modern poetry.