Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 46 (1965) Winner
John Allyn McAlpin Berryman
ジョン・ベリマン
John Berryman
Aliases:
John Allyn Smith, Jr.
Pen Names:
Henry (literary alter ego)（Used as the poet's alter ego in The Dream Songs）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1914-10-25 （McAlester, Oklahoma, U.S.）
- Died
- 1972-01-07 （Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.） age 57
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- McAlester, Oklahoma (born — until about age 10) → Clearwater, Florida (childhood) → Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts (lecturing period) → Minneapolis, Minnesota (major workplace/residence later in life) → Cambridge, England (study abroad)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Scholar, Professor
- Active Years
- 1942-1972
- Affiliations
- University of Iowa (Iowa Writer's Workshop), Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Cincinnati, University of Minnesota, Brown University (visiting)
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow)
- Influenced By
- W. B. Yeats, W. H. Auden, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Stephen Crane, Ezra Pound, Mark Van Doren (mentor)
- Influenced
- Philip Levine, W. D. Snodgrass, Donald Justice, William Dickey, Jane Cooper
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University (Columbia College) | — | English | BA | 1932–1936 | United States |
| Clare College, University of Cambridge | — | English | MA | 1936–1938 | United Kingdom |
Columbia University (Columbia College)
English
Degree:
BA
Period:
1932–1936
Year of Graduation:
1936
Country:
United States
Served as president of the Philolexian Society, edited The Columbia Review
Clare College, University of Cambridge
English
Degree:
MA
Period:
1936–1938
Year of Graduation:
1938
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied on a Kellett Fellowship
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry | 77 Dream Songs | — | Pulitzer Prize committee | 受賞 |
| 1969 | National Book Award for Poetry | His Toy, His Dream, His Rest | — | National Book Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1969 | Bollingen Prize | His Toy, His Dream, His Rest | — | Bollingen Prize committee | 受賞 |
| 1967 | Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Sciences | 選出 |
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1965
Work:
77 Dream Songs
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize committee
Result:
受賞
National Book Award for Poetry
1969
Work:
His Toy, His Dream, His Rest
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
受賞
Bollingen Prize
1969
Work:
His Toy, His Dream, His Rest
Organization:
Bollingen Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1967
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Bollingen Prize for Poetry
2 appearances
-
Edition 20 (1969) Winner
Works
Major Works
77 Dream Songs
1964 Poetry collection (Dream Song form)A sequence of short lyric poems featuring the poet's alter ego 'Henry.' The poems mix free verse, irregular rhyme, black humor, grief, loss and confession; they are Berryman's breakthrough and signature work.
ConfessionFather's deathIdentityGrief and dark humor
Homage to Mistress Bradstreet
1956 Long poem / historical lyricA long poem addressing 17th-century poet Anne Bradstreet, combining historical material and imaginative projection; one of Berryman's early acclaimed works.
Dialogue with historyEmpathy toward a woman poetMemory and imagination
Bibliography
- Poems (1942)
- The Dispossessed (1948)
- Homage to Mistress Bradstreet (1956)
- 77 Dream Songs (1964)
- Berryman's Sonnets (1967)
- His Toy, His Dream, His Rest (1968)
- The Dream Songs (1969)
- Love & Fame (1970)
- Delusions, Etc. (1972)
- Henry's Fate & Other Poems (1977, posthumous selection)
- Collected Poems 1937–1971 (1989, ed. Charles Thornbury)
- Selected Poems (2004, Library of America, ed. Kevin Young)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Confessional poetryFragmentary/episodic Dream Song formFree verse with occasional irregular rhyme
- Recurring Motifs
- Death of the father and lossSelf-splitting / alter ego (Henry)Religious anguish and redemptionAlcohol and self-destruction
Health
-
Alcohol use disorder生涯を通じて（特に晩年）Repeated hospitalizations, severe negative effects on both creative work and personal life, and considered a contributing factor to his eventual suicide.
-
Depression主に成人期〜晩年Became a central theme of his work and impaired functioning; experienced repeated psychiatric crises.
Legacy
John Berryman is a major postwar American poet, established as a leading figure of confessional poetry by The Dream Songs. He won major poetry prizes including the Pulitzer and National Book Award and influenced many later poets.
Museums
- Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (John Berryman collection) Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Archives
- Columbia University Rare Book & Manuscript Library (related papers)
- Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (Emory University)
In Popular Culture
- The TV series Succession uses phrases from Dream Song 29 as season finale titles.
- Musicians such as Nick Cave have cited Berryman's influence on their work.
Quotes
-
"These Songs are not meant to be understood, you understand. / They are only meant to terrify & comfort."
Source: Dream Song 366 (line from the poems) (1968)
Trivia
- Born John Allyn Smith, Jr.; later took the surname Berryman from his stepfather.
- Taught notable poets including Philip Levine.
- Won the Pulitzer Prize in 1965 for 77 Dream Songs.
- Died by suicide in 1972 after jumping from the Washington Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis.