Which American poet won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923 for 'The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver'?

Edna St. Vincent Millay won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver.” The award formally recognized a volume of verse published by an American author, including “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver,” “A Few Figs from Thistles,” and eight sonnets.

The poem tells a poignant story about a poor mother who magically weaves warm clothing for her son while playing a harp. Its combination of fairy-tale transformation, maternal sacrifice, poverty, and lyrical musicality helped make it one of Millay’s best-known works.

Millay was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. She was also a major literary and cultural figure of the 1920s, known for sonnets, feminist themes, dramatic works, and a highly public artistic life. Readers sometimes remember the award as being for the poem alone, but the Pulitzer’s official citation referred to the broader poetry publication associated with it.