Lannan Literary Awards
3 appearances
Cid Corman
シド・コーマン
Cid Corman
Pen Names:
Sidney Corman（Birth name; early publications sometimes used Sidney.）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1924-06-29 （Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts, United States）
- Died
- 2004-03-12 （Kyoto, Japan） age 79
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Roxbury / Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts, USA → France (Paris / Sorbonne) → Italy (Matera) → Japan (Kyoto) → Temporary return to United States (Boston, 1980–1982)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, translator, editor, publisher
- Active Years
- 1944-2004
- Affiliations
- Origin Press (founder / editor)
- Influenced By
- Walt Whitman (influence in approach/name change), Paul Celan (translated; influential), William Carlos Williams
- Influenced
- David Antin (influenced development of talk-poems), Numerous contemporary poets (supported/featured through Origin)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Latin School | — | — | — | 〜1941 | United States |
| Tufts University | — | — | 学士（Bachelor of Arts） | 1941–1945 | United States |
| University of Michigan (graduate study) | — | — | 修士課程（事実上未修了） | 1945頃 | United States |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (brief study) | — | — | — | 短期 | United States |
Boston Latin School
Period:
〜1941
Year of Graduation:
1941
Country:
United States
Tufts University
Degree:
学士（Bachelor of Arts）
Period:
1941–1945
Year of Graduation:
1945
Country:
United States
Elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
University of Michigan (graduate study)
Degree:
修士課程（事実上未修了）
Period:
1945頃
Country:
United States
Won the Hopwood poetry award but left two credits short of completing the degree.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (brief study)
Period:
短期
Country:
United States
Brief period of attendance.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Hopwood Award (Poetry) | — | — | University of Michigan | 受賞 |
| 1954 | Fulbright Fellowship | — | — | Fulbright Program | 奨学金受給 |
Hopwood Award (Poetry)
Organization:
University of Michigan
Result:
受賞
Fulbright Fellowship
1954
Organization:
Fulbright Program
Result:
奨学金受給
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Subluna
1944 poetryCorman's first privately printed book, an early collection of poems.
early poetrypersonal expression
Sun Rock Man
1962 poetry / long poemOne of his major works drawing on experiences in Italy; a long-form poem incorporating landscape and improvisatory speech.
Italian landscapetravelimprovisation
OF (poetry volumes)
1990 poetryA large series of poetry volumes published beginning in 1990; volumes 1–2 contain about 1,500 poems, with further volumes completing the series.
fragments of daily lifelinguistic experiments
Bibliography
- Subluna (1944)
- Sun Rock Man (1962)
- OF volumes 1–2 (1990)
- OF volume 3 (1998)
- Numerous other poetry books and pamphlets (over 100)
Translations by Author
- Bashō (co-translation with Susumu Kamaike)
- Paul Celan (early English translations)
- Francis Ponge (translation of Things)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- concise and colloquialperformance- and improvisation-oriented styleexperimental, fragmentary structure
- Recurring Motifs
- fragments of everyday lifenature and landscapetravel and foreign places
Health
-
cardiac condition2004年1月〜2004年3月Hospitalized from January 2004 and died in March 2004. The condition limited his final period of creative activity.
Legacy
Cid Corman was a key figure in postwar American poetry, supporting and introducing many poets through the magazine Origin and Origin Press. He is recognized for his prolific output as a poet and translator and for his emphasis on improvisatory reading and colloquial expression.
Archives
- Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin (manuscript collection)
- Special Collections, Kent State University (papers 1942–1976)
- Special Collections, Washington University in St. Louis (papers 1962–1964)
- University of Connecticut Archives and Special Collections (Cid Corman Papers)
In Popular Culture
- CC's Coffee Shop in Kyoto, run by the Cormans, became known locally as a place offering poetry and Western-style patisserie.
Quotes
-
I initiated my weekly broadcasts, known as This Is Poetry. The program has been usually a fifteen-minute reading of modern verse on Saturday evenings at seven thirty; however, I have taken some liberties and have read from Moby Dick and from stories by Dylan Thomas, Robert Creeley, and Joyce.
Source: Article for Poetry magazine (1952) (1952) -
He expected everyone to match his commitment to poetry as a way of life.
Source: Michael Carlson (obituary / recollection in The Guardian) (2004)
Trivia
- Founded the magazine Origin, typically featuring one writer per issue.
- Hosted a radio program 'This Is Poetry' in Massachusetts, considered among the earliest poetry radio programs in the US.
- Did not speak, read, or write Japanese, yet worked on translations of Japanese poetry such as Bashō.
- Ran CC's Coffee Shop in Kyoto, combining poetry with coffee and western-style pastries.