Poet Philip Levine wins $100,000 prize in US

One of the most honoured poets in the U.S., Philip Levine, has received a $100,000 lifetime achievement prize.

The American Academy of Poets announced Thursday that Levine, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate, has been given the Wallace Stevens Award.

The 85-year-old Levine is known for his detailed portraits of the working class. His books include “What Work Is” and “News of the World.”

The academy awarded Patricia Smith’s “Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah” the Lenore Marshall prize, worth $25,000, for the best book of poetry in 2012. Carolyn Forchş received a $25,000 fellowship stipend, and John Taylor won a translation award that includes a $25,000 stipend and $10,000 cash prize.