American Book Awards
2 appearances
-
Edition 3 (1982) Winner
-
Edition 23 (2002) Winner
Al Young
アル・ヤング
Al Young
Aliases:
Earnest James Young
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1939-05-31 （Ocean Springs, Mississippi, U.S.）
- Died
- 2021-04-17 （Concord, California, U.S.） age 81
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Residence History
- Ocean Springs, Mississippi → Detroit, Michigan → Berkeley, California → Palo Alto, California → Concord, California
Career
- Occupations
- poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, professor
- Active Years
- 1960-2021
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (Jones Lecturer), University of California, Berkeley (faculty), San José State University (Lurie Distinguished Professor), Cave Canem (faculty, summer workshops)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan | — | — | — | 1957–1960 | United States |
| University of California, Berkeley | — | Department of Spanish | BA | 1969 | United States |
University of Michigan
Period:
1957–1960
Country:
United States
Attended; co-edited the campus literary magazine Generation
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Spanish
Degree:
BA
Period:
1969
Year of Graduation:
1969
Country:
United States
Graduated with honors in Spanish
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Guggenheim Fellowship (fiction) | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Poet Laureate of California | — | — | Office of the Governor of California | 任命（2005–2008） |
| 1982 | American Book Award | Bodies & Soul: Musical Memoirs | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2002 | American Book Award | The Sound of Dreams Remembered: Poems 1990–2000 | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2009 | Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) | — | — | Whittier College | 授与 |
| — | Fulbright Fellowship | — | — | Fulbright Program | 受賞 |
| — | PEN-USA Award | — | — | PEN Center | 受賞 |
| — | Wallace Stegner Fellowship | — | — | Stanford University (Stegner Fellowship) | 受賞 |
| — | Pushcart Prize (multiple) | — | — | Pushcart Press | 受賞 |
Guggenheim Fellowship (fiction)
1974
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Poet Laureate of California
2005
Organization:
Office of the Governor of California
Result:
任命（2005–2008）
American Book Award
1982
Work:
Bodies & Soul: Musical Memoirs
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
American Book Award
2002
Work:
The Sound of Dreams Remembered: Poems 1990–2000
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (L.H.D.)
2009
Organization:
Whittier College
Result:
授与
Fulbright Fellowship
Organization:
Fulbright Program
Result:
受賞
PEN-USA Award
Organization:
PEN Center
Result:
受賞
Wallace Stegner Fellowship
Organization:
Stanford University (Stegner Fellowship)
Result:
受賞
Pushcart Prize (multiple)
Organization:
Pushcart Press
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 19 (2009) Winner
Works
Major Works
Dancing: Poems
1969 PoetryEarly collection of poems reflecting youthful experience and musical sensibility.
musicmemoryrelationships
The Blues Don't Change: New and Selected Poems
1982 PoetryCollection of new and selected poems showing strong influence of jazz and blues.
jazzAfrican-American culturememory
Bodies & Soul: Musical Memoirs
1981 Memoir / Musical memoirMemoir focusing on his relationship with music, especially jazz. Winner of an American Book Award.
jazzpersonal historyculture
The Sound of Dreams Remembered: Poems 1990–2000
2001 PoetryCollection of poems from the 1990s notable for lyrical quality and musical rhythm. Winner of an American Book Award.
memorydreamsmusic
Drowning in the Sea of Love: Musical Memoirs
1995 Memoir / Musical memoirOne of his musical memoirs, recounting relationships with musicians and the music scene.
jazzmusic historymemoir
Bibliography
- Dancing: Poems (1969)
- The Song Turning Back Into Itself (1971)
- Snakes (1970)
- Sitting Pretty: A Novel (1976)
- Who is Angelina?: A Novel (1975)
- Ask Me Now (1980)
- Bodies & Soul: Musical Memoirs (1981)
- The Blues Don't Change: New and Selected Poems (1982)
- Kinds of Blue: Musical Memoirs (1984)
- Drowning in the Sea of Love: Musical Memoirs (1995)
- The Sound of Dreams Remembered: Poems 1990–2000 (2001)
- Coastal Nights and Inland Afternoons: Poems 2001–2006 (2006)
- Something About the Blues: An Unlikely Collection of Poetry (2008)
Adaptations
- Sparkle (screenplay contributor)
- A Piece of the Action (screenplay contributor)
- Bustin' Loose (screenplay contributor)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Colloquial, musical style reflecting jazz rhythmsA style that moves between narrative and poetryLyrical and improvisational expression
- Recurring Motifs
- music (especially jazz/blues)memory and reminiscenceAfrican-American experiencetravel and movement
Health
-
stroke2019–2021Suffered a stroke in February 2019; complications from the stroke led to his death in 2021.
Legacy
Known for a distinctive poetic voice influenced by jazz rhythms and storytelling. He served as Poet Laureate of California and wrote widely across poetry, novels, memoirs and screenplays, emphasizing a musical sensibility in American letters.
Academic Societies
- Cave Canem (faculty involvement)
Quotes
-
"He is an educator and a man with a passion for the Arts. His remarkable talent and sense of mission to bring poetry into the lives of Californians is an inspiration."
Source: Press release announcing appointment by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (2005) (2005)
Trivia
- Wrote liner notes for George Benson's album Breezin'.
- Contributed to several film screenplays in the 1970s–1980s (e.g., Sparkle, A Piece of the Action, Bustin' Loose).
- Taught at Stanford and multiple University of California campuses and other institutions for many years.
- Lived in Palo Alto until 1999 and returned to Berkeley in 2000.
- Often performed blending poetry and music, frequently collaborating with musicians.