World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Len Roberts

レン・ロバーツ

Len Roberts

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-03-13 （Cohoes, New York, United States）
Died
2007-05-25 （Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States） age 60
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Cohoes, New York (birth) → Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (residence and death) → Pittsburgh (teaching)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Professor
Active Years
1974-2007
Affiliations
University of Pittsburgh, Muhlenberg College, Lafayette College, Northampton Community College
Influenced By
Sándor Csoóri (Hungarian poet)

Education

Siena College
Degree: 学士
Country: United States
BA obtained (major details not specified)
University of Dayton
Degree: 修士
Country: United States
Master's degree
Lehigh University
Degree: 博士
Country: United States
Ph.D. (field not specified)

Awards

National Poetry Series Award
1988
Work: Black Wings
Organization: National Poetry Series
Result: 受賞
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Award
1991
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
National Endowment for the Arts grants
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: 受賞（複数回）
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
Organization: National Endowment for the Humanities
Result: フェローシップ
Fulbright Scholar awards
Organization: Fulbright Program
Result: 受賞（複数回）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Cohoes Theater

1980 Poetry

Early collection containing poems about local landscapes and labor.

localitylabor

From the Dark

1984 Poetry

A collection addressing interior life and memory.

memoryinteriority

Sweet Ones

1988 Poetry

Contains poems that delicately portray everyday scenes and relationships.

everyday liferelationships

Black Wings

1989 Poetry

Winner of the National Poetry Series; contains poems about labor, death, and the gravity of life.

labordeathexistence

Dangerous Angels

1993 Poetry

A collection featuring religious imagery and moral dilemmas.

religious imageryethics

The Million Branches: Selected Poems and Interview

1993 Selected Poems

Selected works and an interview collecting representative poems.

retrospectiveselected works

Counting the Black Angels

1994 Poetry

A collection of lyrical and contemplative poems.

lyricismcontemplation

The Trouble-Making Finch

1998 Poetry

A collection mixing satire and fable-like elements.

satirefable

The Silent Singer: New and Selected Poems

2001 Selected and New Poems

Combines new poems and selected works showing mature poetic craft.

maturitysilence

The Disappearing Trick

2007 Poetry

A late collection dealing with disappearance and recollection.

disappearancerecollection

Bibliography

  • Cohoes Theater. Momentum Press, 1980.
  • From the Dark. SUNY Press, 1984.
  • Sweet Ones. Milkweed Editions, 1988.
  • Black Wings. Persea, 1989.
  • Dangerous Angels. Copper Beech Press, 1993.
  • The Million Branches: Selected Poems and Interview. Yarrow Press, 1993.
  • Counting the Black Angels. University of Illinois Press, 1994.
  • The Trouble-Making Finch. University of Illinois Press, 1998.
  • The Silent Singer: New and Selected Poems. University of Illinois Press, 2001.
  • The Disappearing Trick. University of Illinois Press, 2007.

Translations of Works

  • English translations of Sándor Csoóri's poems by Len Roberts

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical yet realist depictionConcise and forceful diction
Recurring Motifs
labor and working-class lifememory and disappearancereligious imagery

Legacy

Len Roberts was an American poet active from the late 20th to early 21st century, noted for honest poetry about locality and labor and for his translations. He also served as a longtime educator and influenced many poets.

Archives

  • Len Roberts materials (location/details unspecified)

Trivia

  • He translated the poetry of Sándor Csoóri, helping introduce that Hungarian poet to English-speaking readers.
  • He worked at Northampton Community College for 33 years.