Bollingen Prize for Poetry
1 appearances
Léonie Fuller Adams
レオニー・フラー・アダムズ
Reonī Furā Adamuzu
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1899-12-09 （Brooklyn, New York, United States）
- Died
- 1988-06-27 （New Milford, Connecticut, United States） age 88
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Roman Catholic
- Residence History
- New York (Brooklyn, Manhattan) → Ramapo Mountains near Hillburn, New York → Bennington (Bennington College) → New Milford, Connecticut (later life)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, English teacher
- Active Years
- 1920-1988
- Affiliations
- New York University (lecturer), Bennington College (faculty), Douglass College (lecturer), University of Washington (lecturer), Columbia University (lecturer), Sarah Lawrence College (lecturer)
- Influenced By
- H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), Henry Vaughan (17th-century metaphysical poetry), Gertrude Stein
- Influenced
- Louise Glück, Lin Carter
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard College, Columbia University | — | English | BA | — | United States |
Barnard College, Columbia University
English
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Bollingen Prize | Poems: A Selection | — | Bollingen Prize committee | 受賞 |
| 1974 | Academy Fellowship | — | — | Academy of American Poets | 受賞 |
| — | Shelley Memorial Award | — | — | Shelley Memorial Award committee | 受賞 |
| — | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | The Guggenheim Foundation | 受賞 |
| — | Grants from the National Council of the Arts and the National Institute of Arts and Letters | — | — | United States (various organizations) | 助成 |
| 1948 | Appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress | — | — | Library of Congress | 任命 |
Bollingen Prize
1954
Work:
Poems: A Selection
Organization:
Bollingen Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Academy Fellowship
1974
Organization:
Academy of American Poets
Result:
受賞
Shelley Memorial Award
Organization:
Shelley Memorial Award committee
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
Organization:
The Guggenheim Foundation
Result:
受賞
Grants from the National Council of the Arts and the National Institute of Arts and Letters
Organization:
United States (various organizations)
Result:
助成
Appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
1948
Organization:
Library of Congress
Result:
任命
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Those Not Elect
1925 Poetry collectionEarly collection showing introspective voice and precise descriptive imagery.
IntrospectionReligious/spiritual inquiryNatural imagery
High Falcon and Other Poems
1929 Poetry collectionPoems that weave contrasts between urban life and nature.
ContrastSensory detailLanguage of traditional poetics
Midsummer
1929 Poetry collectionExplores sensory worlds through summer scenes.
SeasonalityHeightened senses
This Measure
1933 Poetry collectionA mature collection deepening her exploration of form and sound.
Formal beautySound of language
Poems: A Selection
1954 Poetry collection (selected)Selected poems; the volume that won the 1954 Bollingen Prize.
Devotional lyricismNature and sensory depiction
Bibliography
- Those Not Elect (1925)
- High Falcon and Other Poems (1929)
- Midsummer (1929)
- This Measure (1933)
- Poems: A Selection (1954)
- The Lyrics of François Villon (edited/translated, 1933)
- Children's books (e.g. A Casque for Amadis; The Tale of Tenjin, 1928)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Solemn, exalted lyricismPrecision in sound and meter; attention to acoustic effectsSensory-rich descriptive style
- Recurring Motifs
- Religious/spiritual ecstasyNature and seasonal imageryFocus on sensory detail
Legacy
Léonie Adams was an important 20th-century American poet known for her sensitivity to sound and form and for deep lyricism. Appointed Poet Laureate by the Library of Congress, she mentored several younger poets (including Louise Glück) and received critical recognition such as the 1954 Bollingen Prize. She left a legacy as both a poet and educator.
Museums
- National Portrait Gallery (holds a portrait of Léonie Adams) Washington, D.C., United States
Academic Societies
- Academy of American Poets
Archives
- Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (Léonie Adams and William Troy Papers)
Quotes
-
"My father... made me a childhood agnostic — I am now a Roman Catholic.... I am a very liberal democrat."
Source: Brief autobiography for a biographical dictionary of modern literature (1955) (1955)
Trivia
- Her college roommate was anthropologist Margaret Mead.
- Taught at NYU, Bennington College and other institutions and mentored many poets.
- Had a brief affair with Edmund Wilson in 1928.
- Won the 1954 Bollingen Prize for Poems: A Selection.