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Richard Purdy Wilbur

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Richard Purdy Wilbur

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1921-03-01 （New York City, New York, U.S.）
Died
2017-10-14 （Belmont, Massachusetts, U.S.） age 96
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Anglicanism
Residence History
North Caldwell, New Jersey (childhood) → Belmont, Massachusetts (later life) → Middletown, Connecticut (Wesleyan University period)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Translator, College professor, Lyricist
Active Years
1947-2017
Affiliations
Wellesley College (faculty), Wesleyan University (faculty), Smith College (faculty), Amherst College (visiting/lecturer)
Memberships
Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Influenced By
Robert Frost, W. H. Auden
Influenced
Poets of the New Formalism movement (younger generation), Many English-language poets (influenced return to rhyme and form)

Education

Amherst College
Degree: BA
Period: 1938–1942
Year of Graduation: 1942
Country: United States
Served on the college newspaper; notable early literary activity
Harvard University (graduate study)
Degree: MA
Period: 1940年代（在学）
Country: United States
Attended graduate school; exact graduation year varies in sources

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1957
Work: Things of This World
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1989
Work: New and Collected Poems
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
National Book Award (Poetry)
1957
Work: Things of This World
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
Bollingen Prize for Poetry
1971
Organization: Bollingen Prize Committee (Yale)
Result: 受賞
Robert Frost Medal
1996
Organization: Poetry Society of America
Result: 受賞
National Medal of Arts
1994
Organization: U.S. Government / National Endowment for the Arts
Result: 受賞
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
2006
Organization: Poetry Foundation
Result: 受賞
PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation
1994
Work: Translation achievement (overall)
Organization: PEN America
Result: 受賞
Drama Desk Special Award
1983
Work: Translation of The Misanthrope
Organization: Drama Desk
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1952
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems

1947 Poetry collection

Early collection showing Wilbur's inclination to formal verse and observational style.

everyday observationnatureform and meter

Things of This World

1956 Poetry collection

One of his major works, combining everyday objects with deep reflection; won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award in 1957.

everyday life and spiritualityobservationdeath and time

New and Collected Poems

1988 Poetry (collected works)

A collected volume of work spanning decades; awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1989.

formal versememoryallegories in everyday life

Tartuffe (translation)

1963 Translation (play)

Wilbur's English verse translation of Molière's comedy. His version became a standard performed and televised translation.

dramatic translationrhymed rendering of classical plays
Adaptations
  • [Television / Stage] Tartuffe (Wilbur translation) (1978)

Candide (lyrics contribution)

1956 Opera / Musical (lyrics)

Collaborated as lyricist on Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide; notable songs include 'Glitter and Be Gay.'

musical theatrewit and irony

Bibliography

  • The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems (1947)
  • Ceremony, and Other Poems (1950)
  • A Bestiary (1955)
  • Things of This World (1956)
  • Advice to a Prophet, and Other Poems (1961)
  • Walking to Sleep: New Poems and Translations (1969)
  • The Mind-Reader: New Poems (1976)
  • New and Collected Poems (1988)
  • Mayflies: New Poems and Translations (2000)
  • Collected Poems, 1943–2004 (2004)
  • Anterooms (2010)

Adaptations

  • Lyric contributions to the musical Candide (music by Leonard Bernstein)
  • Stage and television productions of his translations of Molière (e.g., Tartuffe)

Translations by Author

  • English translations of Molière (The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, etc.)
  • Translations of plays by Jean Racine and Pierre Corneille

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Formalist (emphasis on meter and rhyme)Clear, genteel dictionWit and restrained emotional expression
Recurring Motifs
everyday objectsnature and seasonsreligious and ethical reflectionmemory and time

Legacy

Wilbur was a major American poet of the late 20th century, twice a Pulitzer Prize winner and recipient of numerous national honors. He contributed to a revival of formal verse, produced acclaimed translations, and was respected as a teacher and mentor.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Archives

  • Amherst College Archives & Special Collections (Richard P. Wilbur Papers)

In Popular Culture

  • Influence on the musical world via lyric contributions to Leonard Bernstein's Candide
  • Recognition in theatre through performances and televised productions of his translations

Quotes

  • The world is fundamentally a great wonder.
    Source: Conversation / public talk (excerpt) (2009)
  • Love Calls Us to the Things of This World (title of poem/collection)
    Source: Poetry collection Things of This World (1956)

Trivia

  • Wrote lyrics for Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide.
  • Served in the United States Army during World War II (1943–1945).
  • Won the Pulitzer Prize twice, in 1957 and 1989.
  • Produced widely used English verse translations of Molière, Racine, and Corneille.