Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 20 (1999) Winner
C. K. Williams
シー・ケイ・ウィリアムズ
C. K. Williams
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1936-11-04 （Newark, New Jersey）
- Died
- 2015-09-20 （Hopewell, New Jersey） age 78
- Nationality
- American, French
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Philadelphia (residence) → Paris (residence, part-time) → Normandy (residence, part-time) → Hopewell, New Jersey (final residence)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, critic, translator, professor, writer
- Active Years
- 1960-2015
- Affiliations
- Franklin and Marshall College, University of California, Irvine, Boston University, Brooklyn College, Columbia University, George Mason University, Princeton University, YM-YWHA (Philadelphia)
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Influenced By
- T. S. Eliot, Walt Whitman, Morse Peckham (teacher)
- Influenced
- contemporary younger American poets, Peter Campion (poet/critic)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucknell University | — | — | — | 1年間 | United States |
| University of Pennsylvania | — | English | BA | — | United States |
Bucknell University
Period:
1年間
Country:
United States
Attended one year; transferred to University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
English
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Switched major from philosophy to English before graduating
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | National Book Critics Circle Award (Poetry) | Flesh and Blood | — | National Book Critics Circle | winner |
| 2000 | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry | Repair | — | The Pulitzer Prizes | winner |
| 2003 | National Book Award (Poetry) | The Singing | — | National Book Foundation | winner |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize | Repair | — | Los Angeles Times | winner |
| 2005 | Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize | — | — | Poetry Foundation (associated) | winner |
| 1974 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | fellowship |
| 1987 | Pulitzer Prize (Finalist) | Flesh and Blood | — | The Pulitzer Prizes | finalist |
| 1999 | National Book Award (Finalist) | Repair | — | National Book Foundation | finalist |
National Book Critics Circle Award (Poetry)
1987
Work:
Flesh and Blood
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
winner
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
2000
Work:
Repair
Organization:
The Pulitzer Prizes
Result:
winner
National Book Award (Poetry)
2003
Work:
The Singing
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
winner
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
2000
Work:
Repair
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
winner
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
2005
Organization:
Poetry Foundation (associated)
Result:
winner
Guggenheim Fellowship
1974
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
fellowship
Pulitzer Prize (Finalist)
1987
Work:
Flesh and Blood
Organization:
The Pulitzer Prizes
Result:
finalist
National Book Award (Finalist)
1999
Work:
Repair
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
finalist
Awards & Nominations
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 81 (2000) Winner
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 20 (2005) Winner
Works
Major Works
Lies
1969 PoetryEarly collection marking Williams's poetic beginnings.
identityloneliness
Flesh and Blood
1987 PoetryA collection addressing family, memory, and ethical questions; critically acclaimed and award-winning.
familymemorymorality
Repair
1999 PoetryA long poem weaving social and ethical themes with personal introspection; winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize.
social justiceindividual responsibilityintrospection
The Singing
2003 PoetryExplores musicality, voice, and the relation between life and poetry; winner of the 2003 National Book Award.
voicemusicalityexistence
Collected Poems
2006 PoetryA compilation spanning five decades of work; highly praised by critics.
retrospectcontinuity
Falling Ill
2017 PoetryPosthumous collection completed shortly before his death; includes poems confronting illness and mortality.
illnessconfronting deathaging
Bibliography
- A Day for Anne Frank (1968)
- Lies (1969)
- I Am the Bitter Name (1972)
- With Ignorance (1977)
- Tar (1983)
- Flesh and Blood (1987)
- Poems 1963–1983 (1988)
- Repair (1999)
- The Singing (2003)
- Collected Poems (2006)
- Falling Ill (2017)
Adaptations
- The Color of Time (film, 2012)
Translations by Author
- Women of Trachis (translation from Sophocles, 1978)
- The Bacchae (translation from Euripides, 1990)
- Translation of Adam Zagajewski's Canvas (1991)
Translations of Works
- Works translated into French (various)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- long, lineated, conversational poemsa voice combining emotional sincerity with skeptical intelligence
- Recurring Motifs
- family and personal memorydeath, illness, agingmorality and responsibilityobservations on American society
Health
-
multiple myeloma2013–2015Diagnosed in 2013; he continued writing while undergoing illness. He finished the manuscript of his final collection 20 days before his death.
Legacy
C.K. Williams was a major American poet of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, noted for his long lines, conversational voice, and deep engagement with ethical and personal themes. He won major awards including the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award and influenced subsequent generations of poets.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Letters
Archives
- C. K. Williams Papers – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
In Popular Culture
- The film The Color of Time (2012) incorporates aspects of his life and poetry
Trivia
- His son Jed Williams is a painter; Jed's paintings often appeared on C.K. Williams's book covers.
- In later life he split his time between the U.S. and France (Paris and Normandy).
- He completed the manuscript of his final poetry collection 20 days before his death.