American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 34 (2013) Winner
Lew Welch
ルー・ウェルチ
Ruu Weruchi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1926-08-16 （Phoenix, Arizona, USA）
- Died
- 1971-05-23 （Mountains of California, USA） age 44
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Phoenix, Arizona → California (moved with family in 1929) → Portland, Oregon (attended Reed College) → New York City (worked in advertising) → San Francisco (literary scene) → California mountains (at time of disappearance)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Teacher (workshop instructor), Advertising copywriter, Taxi driver
- Active Years
- 1948-1971
- Influenced By
- Gertrude Stein, William Carlos Williams, Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen
- Influenced
- Contemporaneous Beat poets and later California poets, Jack Kerouac (modeled a character after Welch)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton Junior College | — | — | — | 1940年代 | United States |
| Reed College | — | Philosophy and English (engaged in poetry activities) | — | 1948頃 | United States |
| University of Chicago | — | Studied philosophy and English | — | 1950年代 | United States |
Stockton Junior College
Period:
1940年代
Country:
United States
Developed an interest in Gertrude Stein
Reed College
Philosophy and English (engaged in poetry activities)
Period:
1948頃
Country:
United States
Roomed with Gary Snyder and befriended Philip Whalen
University of Chicago
Studied philosophy and English
Period:
1950年代
Country:
United States
Studied while working in advertising
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Trip Trap: Haiku on the Road
1973 Poetry (haiku)A collection of haiku by several poets including Welch, featuring short poems that capture moments on the road.
travelnatureevocation of moments
Ring of Bone: Collected Poems
1979 Poetry (collected poems)A comprehensive collected volume of poems from the 1950s through 1970, containing many of Welch's representative works.
Beat movementnatureself-exploration
I, Leo: An Unfinished Novel
1977 Novel (unfinished)An unfinished long-form work containing fragmentary prose attempting to explore the poet's perspective in novel form.
selfhoodmemorycreative struggle
Selected Poems
1976 PoetryA selection of poems prefaced by Gary Snyder, collecting Welch's representative short and experimental pieces.
Beat cultureexperimental poetryviews of nature
Bibliography
- Trip Trap: Haiku on the Road (1973) — Jack Kerouac, Albert Saijo, and Lew Welch
- How I Work as a Poet (1973)
- Selected Poems (1976)
- On Bread and Poetry: A Panel Discussion Between Gary Snyder, Lew Welch, and Philip Whalen (1977)
- I, Leo: An Unfinished Novel (1977)
- Ring of Bone: Collected Poems (1979)
- I Remain – The Letters of Lew Welch & the Correspondence of His Friends (Volume 1: 1949–1960) (1980)
- I Remain – The Letters of Lew Welch & the Correspondence of His Friends (Volume 2: 1960–1971) (1980)
- How I Read Gertrude Stein (1995, originally written late-1940s)
- Ring of Bone: Collected Poems (New & Expanded Edition) (2012)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Direct, colloquial style characteristic of the Beat generationCondensed expression influenced by haiku and short lyric formsExperimental and fragmentary prose-poetic techniques
- Recurring Motifs
- nature and landscapetravel and movementalcohol and wanderinginfluences of Zen and Eastern thought
Health
-
Emotional/mental health problems (depression, emotional instability)1950年代〜1971年Affected his writing and life; related to therapy in the 1960s and his eventual disappearance/likely suicide
Legacy
Welch left an important mark on the California poetry scene as a member of the Beat generation. Although he did not achieve major commercial success in life, his work was edited and published posthumously and his experimental, moment-focused poetry has been recognized. Jack Kerouac modeled a character on him.
Archives
- UC San Diego Library Special Collections (Lew Welch Papers)
In Popular Culture
- Modeled the character Dave Wain in Jack Kerouac's novel Big Sur
Trivia
- Acted as a stepfather figure to musician Huey Lewis
- Signed the 1968 'Writers and Editors War Tax Protest' against the Vietnam War
- Left a suicide note on May 23, 1971, walked into the California mountains and his body was never found
- Attributed by some sources with coining the advertising slogan 'Raid Kills Bugs Dead', though this claim is disputed