Bollingen Prize for Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 51 (2019) Winner
Charles Bernstein
チャールズ・バーンスタイン
Chāruzu Bānshutain
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1950-04-04 （Manhattan, New York City, US）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- Manhattan (New York City) → Buffalo, New York → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Career
- Occupations
- poet, essayist, editor, scholar, professor
- Active Years
- 1975-
- Affiliations
- University at Buffalo (SUNY), University of Pennsylvania, Electronic Poetry Center, PennSound
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Influenced By
- J. L. Austin, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Gertrude Stein, Stanley Cavell
- Influenced
- the Language poets generation, Ron Silliman, Steve McCaffery
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx High School of Science | — | High school | — | 1964–1968 | United States |
| Harvard College | Faculty of Arts and Sciences (Philosophy) | Philosophy | AB | 1968–1972 | United States |
Bronx High School of Science
High school
Period:
1964–1968
Year of Graduation:
1968
Country:
United States
Harvard College
Faculty of Arts and Sciences (Philosophy)
/ Philosophy
Degree:
AB
Period:
1968–1972
Year of Graduation:
1972
Country:
United States
Thesis supervised by Stanley Cavell exploring intersections of analytic philosophy and avant-garde literature.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Bollingen Prize | Near/Miss | — | Yale University | 受賞 |
| 1985 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1980 | National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 2015 | Münster Prize for International Poetry | German translations of his works | — | Münster (with translators) | 受賞 |
| 2015 | Janus Pannonius Grand Prize for Poetry | — | — | Janus Pannonius Prize organization | 受賞 |
| 1999 | Roy Harvey Pearce / Archive for New Poetry Prize | — | — | University of California, San Diego | 受賞 |
| 2025 | America Award for Lifetime Contribution to American Writing | — | — | America Award organization | 受賞 |
Bollingen Prize
2019
Work:
Near/Miss
Organization:
Yale University
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1985
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
1980
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
Münster Prize for International Poetry
2015
Work:
German translations of his works
Organization:
Münster (with translators)
Result:
受賞
Janus Pannonius Grand Prize for Poetry
2015
Organization:
Janus Pannonius Prize organization
Result:
受賞
Roy Harvey Pearce / Archive for New Poetry Prize
1999
Organization:
University of California, San Diego
Result:
受賞
America Award for Lifetime Contribution to American Writing
2025
Organization:
America Award organization
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
America Award in Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 32 (2025) Winner
Works
Major Works
Asylums
1975 poetryAn early collection showcasing Bernstein's experimental language-focused and avant-garde poetics.
language experimentationavant-gardepoetics
Republics of Reality: 1975–1995
2000 poetry (selected)A selected collection spanning 1975–1995, reflecting interests in language, politics, and public speech.
publicityrole of languagepolitical commentary
All the Whiskey in Heaven: Selected Poems
2010 poetry (selected)A selected poems volume from the past thirty years, a more commercially accessible collection.
linguistic playsatirepersonal remembrance
Near/Miss
2018 poetryA recent collection that satirizes clichés of public speech while touching on private grief; awarded the Bollingen Prize.
satire of discourselossperformative nature of language
Shadowtime (libretto)
2005 libretto / operaA libretto for an opera based on the life and work of Walter Benjamin; music by Brian Ferneyhough.
philosophical themeshistory and memory
Adaptations
- [opera] Shadowtime (2004)
Recalculating
2013 poetryA mid/late-career collection demonstrating multiple facets of his experimental poetics.
linguistic uncertaintymedia criticism
Bibliography
- Asylums (1975)
- Parsing (1976)
- Shade (1978)
- Poetic Justice (1979)
- Republics of Reality: 1975–1995 (2000)
- All the Whiskey in Heaven (2010)
- Recalculating (2013)
- Near/Miss (2018)
- Topsy-Turvy (2021)
- Pitch of Poetry (2016, essays)
Adaptations
- Shadowtime (libretto for an opera)
Translations by Author
- Translation of Olivier Cadiot's 'Red, Green, and Black'
- Translation of Claude Royet-Journoud's 'The Maternal Drape'
Translations of Works
- German translations (several collections)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Language poetryexperimental / avant-gardetheoretical and critical poetics
- Recurring Motifs
- self-referential languageperformativity of languageirony and satireintersection of public discourse and private loss
Legacy
Charles Bernstein is a leading Language poet and critic who has bridged poetic theory and practice. Through editorial work and digital infrastructure (EPC, PennSound) he has influenced generations of experimental poets.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Archives
- Electronic Poetry Center (EPC) archives
- PennSound audio archive
In Popular Culture
- Appeared in the film 'Finding Forrester' (2000)
- Appeared in Yellow Pages TV commercials (1999)
Quotes
-
"We tried to trace a history of radical poetics... When you go back 30 years, you see that poetics that now are widely accepted as foundational for contemporary poetry were harshly rejected then."
Source: Interview (BOMB Magazine) (2010) -
"My vacillating poetics of poems and essays is a serial practice, a play of voices."
Source: Essay / interview (2010)
Trivia
- Co-founded PennSound at the University of Pennsylvania to archive poetry audio.
- Appeared as Dr. Simon in the film 'Finding Forrester' (2000).
- Published a 2020 project of poems generated by an AI trained on his work and subsequently edited by him.