-
第29回（1981年 第2回開催） Winner
May Swenson
メイ・スウェンソン
May Swenson
プロフィール
- 性別
- 女性
- 生誕
- 1913-05-28 （Logan, Utah, U.S.）
- 死没
- 1989-12-04 （Salisbury, Maryland, U.S.） 76歳
- 国籍
- United States
- 言語
- English
- 宗教
- Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
- 居住地歴
- Logan, Utah (birthplace) → Sea Cliff, New York (later residence) → Salisbury, Maryland (place of death)
経歴
- 職業
- Poet, Playwright, Editor, Translator, Poetry teacher
- 活動期間
- 1934年〜1989年
- 所属
- Academy of American Poets (Chancellor), New Directions Publishing (manuscript reviewer, 1959–1966), Utah State University (faculty/visiting)
- 所属団体
- Academy of American Poets (Chancellor)
- 影響を受けた人物
- Tomas Tranströmer (poet she translated)
学歴
| 学校 | 学部 | 学科 | 学位 | 期間 | 国 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State University | — | English | 学士 | 1930–1934 | United States |
Utah State University
English
学位:
学士
期間:
1930–1934
卒業年:
1934
国:
United States
Obtained bachelor's degree
受賞歴
| 年 | 賞名 | 対象作品 | 部門 | 主催 | 結果 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Bollingen Prize (for Poetry) | — | — | Bollingen Foundation / Awarding institutions | 受賞 |
| 1987 | MacArthur Fellowship | — | — | MacArthur Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1959 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1960 | Amy Lowell Traveling Scholarship | — | — | Amy Lowell Trust | 受賞 |
| 1959 | William Rose Benet Prize | — | — | Poetry Society of America | 受賞 |
| 1960 | National Institute of Arts and Letters Award | — | — | National Institute of Arts and Letters | 受賞 |
| 1967 | Brandeis University Creative Arts Award | — | — | Brandeis University | 受賞 |
| 1968 | Lucy Martin Donnelly Award | — | — | Bryn Mawr College | 受賞 |
| 1968 | Shelley Poetry Award | — | — | Shelley Award (poetry) | 受賞 |
| 1959 | Longview Foundation Award | — | — | Longview Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1955 | American Introductions Prize | — | — | Unknown | 受賞 |
| 1964 | Ford Foundation grant | — | — | Ford Foundation | 助成 |
Bollingen Prize (for Poetry)
1981
主催:
Bollingen Foundation / Awarding institutions
結果:
受賞
MacArthur Fellowship
1987
主催:
MacArthur Foundation
結果:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1959
主催:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
結果:
受賞
Amy Lowell Traveling Scholarship
1960
主催:
Amy Lowell Trust
結果:
受賞
William Rose Benet Prize
1959
主催:
Poetry Society of America
結果:
受賞
National Institute of Arts and Letters Award
1960
主催:
National Institute of Arts and Letters
結果:
受賞
Brandeis University Creative Arts Award
1967
主催:
Brandeis University
結果:
受賞
Lucy Martin Donnelly Award
1968
主催:
Bryn Mawr College
結果:
受賞
Shelley Poetry Award
1968
主催:
Shelley Award (poetry)
結果:
受賞
Longview Foundation Award
1959
主催:
Longview Foundation
結果:
受賞
American Introductions Prize
1955
主催:
Unknown
結果:
受賞
Ford Foundation grant
1964
主催:
Ford Foundation
結果:
助成
受賞・候補エディション
作品
代表作
Another Animal
1954年 Poetry (collection)An early collection of poems incorporating nature and keen personal observation.
NaturePersonal observation
A Cage of Spines
1958年 Poetry (collection)Contains poems notable for sharp imagery and linguistic sensitivity.
PhysicalityExistential themes
Iconographs
1970年 Poetry (iconograph / shaped poems)A collection showcasing 'iconograph' poems where line arrangement forms images related to the poem's subject.
Visual poetryNatureReligious metaphor
New & Selected Things Taking Place
1978年 Poetry (selected)A selected volume compiling poems across decades, showing stylistic range.
RetrospectionNatureBody
In Other Words
1987年 Poetry (collection)A late-career collection marked by mature perspective and refined language.
Meditations on agingLanguage and expression
Windows and Stones: Selected Poems of Tomas Tranströmer (translation)
1972年 Translated poetry (collection)A selection of Tomas Tranströmer's poems translated into English and edited by Swenson.
TranslationNordic poetry
全著作
- Another Animal (Scribner, 1954)
- A Cage of Spines (Rinehart, 1958)
- To Mix with Time: New and Selected Poems (Scribner, 1963)
- Poems to Solve (Scribner, 1966)
- Half Sun Half Sleep (Scribner, 1967)
- Iconographs (Scribner, 1970)
- More Poems to Solve (Scribner, 1971)
- New & Selected Things Taking Place (Little, Brown, 1978)
- In Other Words (Knopf, 1987)
- Collected Poems (Library of America, 2013)
- Made With Words, ed. Gardner McFall (U of Mich Press, 1998)
作家による翻訳
- Windows and Stones: Selected Poems of Tomas Tranströmer (1972, translation)
作風・主題
- 文体
- Iconograph / shaped poetryImagistic natural descriptionClear, observational diction
- 頻出モチーフ
- NatureReligious metaphorPhysicality and eroticismChildren / childhood
評価・遺産
May Swenson is regarded as a significant 20th-century American poet, noted for her iconograph poems, vivid natural and religious imagery, and sensual depictions. Her papers are held chiefly at Washington University in St. Louis and Utah State University. Her legacy includes influence on poets, archival collections, and a namesake poetry award.
記念館・博物館
- May Swenson Papers (Washington University in St. Louis) Special Collections, Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri)
- May Swenson Collections (Utah State University) Special Collections and Archives, Utah State University (Logan, Utah)
関連学会
- Academy of American Poets
資料所蔵先
- Washington University in St. Louis — May Swenson Papers
- Utah State University — May Swenson Collections and Addendum
- University of Delaware — materials in the Robert A. Wilson collection
大衆文化への影響
- Her poem "Question" is quoted in Stephenie Meyer's novel The Host
引用
-
I think I should like to have a son by Plat, but I would not like to be married to any man, but only be myself.
出典: Diary entry (1936) (1936年) -
In "Snow by Morning" she compares a snowfall to the biblical manna.
出典: Poem published in The New Yorker (1954) (1954年)
豆知識
- Swenson was the eldest of ten children and grew up in a Swedish-speaking household.
- Her family struggled to accept her lesbian identity but remained close with her throughout life.
- She is buried in the Logan City Cemetery; her grave is marked by a granite bench engraved with some of her poetry.
- The May Swenson Poetry Award, sponsored by Utah State University Press, ran annually from 1996 to 2016.