|
|
Laureates From: 1961-1970
|
|
| |
|
|
1961-1963
Louis Untermeyer
(1885-1977) Born in New York City, Untermeyer first worked
for his father's jewelry manufacturing company, but left in
1923 to concentrate on writing. He wrote several volumes of
his own poetry, but he is best known as a critic and
anthologist. His most famous anthology is "Modern
American Poetry and Modern British Poetry" (1969).
Untermeyer also lectured on poetry, drama and music..
|
|
|
1963-1964
Howard Nemerov
(1920-1991) Nemerov, born in New York City, served as a
pilot for the Royal Canadian unit of the U.S. Army Air Corp.
over the North Sea during World War II. He was a versatile
writer, producing novels, short stories, plays and essays, in
addition to his many volumes of poetry. In 1978, his
"Collected Poems" won both the National Book Award and
the Pulitzer Prize. He served as Distinguished Poet in
Residence at Washington University in St. Louis from 1969
until his death..
|
|
|
1964-1965
Reed Whittemore
(1919- ) Whittemore, born in New Haven, Conn., and
graduated from Yale, is known for his witty, graceful verse.
In addition to eight collections of poems, Whittemore wrote
a biography of William Carlos Williams. After serving in the
U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, he taught at
Carleton College in Minnesota. He was editor of Furioso, a
literary magazine that he started at Yale and then revived at
Carleton, later known as Carleton Miscellany. He was a
professor of English at the University of Maryland from 1967-
84.
.
|
|
|
1965-1966
Stephen Spender
was inspired by social protest, but critics preferred his later
introspective, autobiographical magazine (1953-66). He
cofounded and coedited (1939-41) Horizon, a literary
monthly, and Encounter magazine (1953-66).
|
|
|
1966-1968
James Dickey
(1923-1997) Dickey, born in Atlanta, was a high school
football star. He flew combat missions in the Pacific during
World War II. After the war, he graduated from Vanderbilt
University and studied further at Rice University. His two
most famous volumes of verse are “Helmets” (1964) and
“Buckdancer’s Choice” (1965), which won the 1966 National
Book Award. In 1970, he wrote the best-selling novel
“Deliverance,” which was made into a major motion picture.
|
|
|
1968-1970
William Jay Smith
(1918- ) Smith was born in Louisiana but grew up in St.
Louis, Missouri. He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s from
Washington University in St. Louis. Besides his 10 collections
of poetry, Smith wrote criticism, translations and children’s
literature. He is particularly noted for his translations of
French, Hungarian, Dutch and Brazilian poetry. Smith taught
at Williams College, Columbia University and Hollins
College. His most recent work is “The World Beneath the
Window: Poems 1937-1997.”
|
|
|
1970-1971
William Stafford
(1914-1993) Stafford, born in Hutchison, Kansas, received a
bachelor’s and a master’s from the University of Kansas at
Lawrence and, in 1954, a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.
Ordinary life was the subject of much of his poetry. He
published more than 65 volumes of poetry and prose, and
won many awards and honors, including a Shelley Memorial
Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He won the National
Book Award in 1963 for “Traveling Through the Dark.”
Stafford taught at Lewis and Clark College in Oregon from
1948 to 1980.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
