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Charles Wright

チャールズ・ライト

Charles Wright

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-08-25 （Pickwick Dam, Tennessee, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Pickwick Dam, Tennessee (birthplace) → Italy (Verona, Rome, Padua residency) → Irvine, California (UC Irvine) → Charlottesville, Virginia (University of Virginia)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Professor, Translator
Active Years
1957-2025
Affiliations
University of California, Irvine, University of Virginia, Academy of American Poets (chancellor)
Memberships
Academy of American Poets (chancellor)
Influenced By
William Faulkner, Eugenio Montale

Education

Christ School (North Carolina)
Period: 1951–1953
Year of Graduation: 1953
Country: United States
Attended for junior and senior years; served as assistant football coach and vice president of his class.
Davidson College
History
Degree: BA
Period: 1953–1957
Year of Graduation: 1957
Country: United States
BA in History. Extensive reading of literature influenced his early writing.
University of Iowa (Writers' Workshop)
Degree: MFA
Period: 1961–1963
Year of Graduation: 1963
Country: United States
Attended the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop; solidified his practice as a poet.
Sapienza University of Rome
Period: 1960年代（フルブライト奨学金）
Country: Italy
Fulbright Scholar; residency in Italy influenced his translations and poetry.
University of Padua
Period: 1960年代（フルブライト関連滞在）
Country: Italy
Research/residency period in Italy related to Fulbright activities.

Awards

National Book Award for Poetry
1983
Work: Country Music: Selected Early Poems
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: shared
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1998
Work: Black Zodiac
Organization: The Pulitzer Prizes
Result: winner
PEN Translation Prize
1979
Work: The Storm and Other Poems (translations of Eugenio Montale)
Organization: PEN America
Result: winner
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
1993
Organization: Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
Result: winner
Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize
1996
Work: Chickamauga
Organization: Academy of American Poets
Result: winner
National Book Critics Circle Award
1997
Work: Black Zodiac
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: winner
Griffin Poetry Prize
2007
Work: Scar Tissue
Organization: Griffin Poetry Prize
Result: winner
Bollingen Prize
2013
Work: Bye-and-Bye: Selected Late Poems
Organization: Bollingen Prize
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Country Music: Selected Early Poems

1982 Poetry

A selection of early important poems emphasizing Southern imagery, nature, and memory.

NatureMemoryAmerican South

Black Zodiac

1997 Poetry

A mature collection showcasing introspection and symbolic imagery, awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

LossIntrospectionCosmic imagery

Chickamauga

1995 Poetry

A collection weaving historical reflection and personal memory; winner of the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize.

HistoryMemorySouthern landscapes

The World of the Ten Thousand Things: Poems 1980-1990

1990 Poetry

An extensive collection of works from the 1980s; cited by critics as part of the Western Canon.

BeingMemoryLanguage and world

Scar Tissue

2006 Poetry

A book dealing with personal loss and traces; winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize.

LossBody and memory

Bibliography

  • The Dream Animal (1968)
  • The Grave of the Right Hand (1970)
  • Hard Freight (1973)
  • Country Music: Selected Early Poems (1982)
  • The World of the Ten Thousand Things (1990)
  • Chickamauga (1995)
  • Black Zodiac (1997)
  • Scar Tissue (2006)
  • Bye-and-Bye: Selected Late Poems (2012)
  • Caribou (2014)

Translations by Author

  • The Storm and Other Poems (translations of Eugenio Montale)
  • Orphic Songs (translations of Dino Campana)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Image-dense poetryMeditative and symbolic dictionQuiet, music-like phrasing
Recurring Motifs
Nature and landscapeMemory and lossSouthern geographyTime and death

Legacy

Charles Wright is a major American poet from the late 20th to early 21st century, recipient of major awards including the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. He served as U.S. Poet Laureate (2014–2015) and influenced subsequent generations through his translations and teaching.

Museums

  • Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (Charles Wright Collection) Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Academic Societies

  • Academy of American Poets

Archives

  • Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia (Charles Wright papers)
  • Stuart A. Rose Library, Emory University (Charles Wright Collection)

In Popular Culture

  • Works widely anthologized and taught in university poetry courses

Trivia

  • Wrote his early poetry while stationed in Italy (Verona) with the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps (1957–1961).
  • Served as United States Poet Laureate from 2014 to 2015.
  • Reportedly read all of William Faulkner's works by the time he graduated high school.