Louis Simpson, 89, a Pulitzer-winning poet who told characteristically American tales of common people and often cast a skeptical eye on the American dream, died Friday at his home in Stony Brook, N.Y.
He had Alzheimer's disease and had been bedridden for some time. He taught at the State University of New York at Stony Brook for many years.
Mr. Simpson sought the poetry in everyday life, writing in a simple, unadorned style with specifically American settings. His collection At the End of the Open Road, for which he won the Pulitzer in 1964, painted a grim picture of the American temperament in the last half of the 20th century.
