Philip Levine

Levine's work often reflected the hardships and dignity of manual labor. He died Feb. 14 in Fresno, Calif. He was 87. In 1991, Levine spoke with Terry Gross about his collection What Work Is.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet grew up in Detroit and worked in the factories as a young man. He's probably best known for his 1992 book of poems about the working class, "What Work Is," which won the National Book Award. He has several volumes of poetry as well as a memoir. His forthcoming book is called "Unselected Poems."

Poet Philip Levine. Levine's considered one of this country's preeminent poet, but before he turned to poetry he put in years working factory jobs. The images of those early days continue to influence his writings. Levine's latest collection of poems is called "What Work Is." (It's published by Knopf).