Robert Bly

Robert Bly (1926–2021) was an American poet, essayist, translator, and leader of the mythopoetic men's movement, best known for his prose book Iron John: A Book About Men (1990), which topped bestseller lists, and his National Book Award-winning poetry collection The Light Around the Body (1968). Born in Minnesota to Norwegian immigrant parents, he studied at Harvard and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, translated Norwegian and international poetry, and co-founded American Writers Against the Vietnam War. His work explored mythology, Jungian psychology, nature, father-son relationships, and anti-war themes across over thirty books of poetry and nonfiction.