Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (1992) Winner
Katha Pollitt
カサ・ポリット
Katha Pollitt
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1949-10-14 （Brooklyn Heights, New York City, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Raised in Protestant and Jewish household; later associated with humanism
- Residence History
- Brooklyn Heights (born) → Manhattan (resident)
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Journalist, Poet, Cultural critic
- Active Years
- 1972-
- Influenced By
- Mary Wollstonecraft, Simone de Beauvoir, Second-wave feminist thinkers
- Influenced
- Contemporary feminist critics and essayists
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radcliffe College | — | Philosophy | B.A. | 1968–1972 | United States |
| Columbia University | — | Writing (MFA) | M.F.A. | 1973–1975 | United States |
Radcliffe College
Philosophy
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
1968–1972
Year of Graduation:
1972
Country:
United States
Participated in student activism while at Harvard/Radcliffe
Columbia University
Writing (MFA)
Degree:
M.F.A.
Period:
1973–1975
Year of Graduation:
1975
Country:
United States
Completed MFA in writing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | National Book Critics Circle Award (Poetry) | Antarctic Traveller (poetry collection) | Poetry | National Book Critics Circle | Winner |
| 1992 | National Magazine Award (Essays & Criticism) | Various columns | Essays & Criticism | National Magazine Awards / ASME | Winner |
| 1992 | Whiting Award | — | — | Whiting Foundation | Winner |
| 2003 | National Magazine Award (Best Columns and Commentary) | Columns such as "Subject to Debate" | Columns & Commentary | National Magazine Awards / ASME | Winner |
| 2010 | American Book Award (Lifetime Achievement) | — | Lifetime Achievement | American Book Award | Recipient |
| 1985 | Fulbright Scholarship | — | — | Fulbright Program | Awarded |
| 1984 | National Endowment for the Arts (grant) | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | Grant |
| 1984 | Peter I. B. Lavan Younger Poets Award (Academy of American Poets) | — | Poetry | Academy of American Poets | Winner |
National Book Critics Circle Award (Poetry)
1983
Work:
Antarctic Traveller (poetry collection)
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
Winner
National Magazine Award (Essays & Criticism)
1992
Work:
Various columns
Category:
Essays & Criticism
Organization:
National Magazine Awards / ASME
Result:
Winner
Whiting Award
1992
Organization:
Whiting Foundation
Result:
Winner
National Magazine Award (Best Columns and Commentary)
2003
Work:
Columns such as "Subject to Debate"
Category:
Columns & Commentary
Organization:
National Magazine Awards / ASME
Result:
Winner
American Book Award (Lifetime Achievement)
2010
Category:
Lifetime Achievement
Organization:
American Book Award
Result:
Recipient
Fulbright Scholarship
1985
Organization:
Fulbright Program
Result:
Awarded
National Endowment for the Arts (grant)
1984
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
Grant
Peter I. B. Lavan Younger Poets Award (Academy of American Poets)
1984
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
Academy of American Poets
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (2010) Lifetime Achievement Award
Works
Major Works
Antarctic Traveller (poetry collection)
1982 PoetryPollitt's first book of poems, collecting work that blends personal observation with political and social concerns.
Personal and politicalFemale perspectiveSocial critique
Reasonable Creatures: Essays on Women and Feminism
1994 EssaysA collection of essays on feminism, culture, and politics, examining women's rights and representations.
FeminismWomen's rightsCultural criticism
Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories
2007 Memoir / EssaysA collection of personal essays covering relationships, family, and modern woman's life through intimate stories.
FamilyPersonal growthPrivate life and the public
Adaptations
- [Film] Learning to Drive (film) / Isabel Coixet (2014)
Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights
2014 Political essay / FeminismAn argument that reframes abortion as a positive social good and an essential option in women's reproductive lives.
Reproductive rightsFeminismPublic policy
The Mind-Body Problem: Poems
2009 PoetryA poetry collection exploring body and mind, blending vivid imagery with reflective thought.
EmbodimentConsciousnessPersonal memory
Bibliography
- Antarctic Traveller: Poems (1982)
- Reasonable Creatures: Essays on Women and Feminism (1994)
- Subject to Debate: Sense and Dissents on Women, Politics, and Culture (2001)
- Virginity or Death!: And Other Social and Political Issues of Our Time (2006)
- Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories (2007)
- The Mind-Body Problem: Poems (2009)
- Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights (2014)
Adaptations
- Learning to Drive was adapted as a 2014 film directed by Isabel Coixet (starring Patricia Clarkson)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Clear, persuasive essayistic prosePolitical and feminist perspectivesCriticism infused with wit and irony
- Recurring Motifs
- Feminism and the politics of sexAbortion and reproductive rightsCritiques of poverty and welfareMedia criticism
Legacy
An essayist and poet who has shaped public feminist discourse for decades. Known for popularizing the "Smurfette Principle" and for influential advocacy of abortion rights.
Academic Societies
- No specific academic society membership listed (work is of academic interest via publications and awards)
In Popular Culture
- Popularized the term "Smurfette Principle"
- Learning to Drive was adapted into a film starring Patricia Clarkson
Quotes
-
Abortion is an essential option in women's reproductive lives and should be recognized as a positive social good.
Source: Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights (2014) (2014)
Trivia
- Served as poet in residence at The Frost Place in 1977.
- Won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Antarctic Traveller (1983).
- Learning to Drive was adapted into a 2014 film in which Patricia Clarkson portrayed a character based on Pollitt.