Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 40 (1959) Winner
Stanley Kunitz
スタンレー・キュニッツ
Sutanrē Kyunitsu
Pen Names:
Dilly Tante（Used as a pseudonym when editing）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1905-07-28 （Worcester, Massachusetts, United States）
- Died
- 2006-05-14 （New York City, United States） age 100
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Judaism (background)
- Residence History
- New York City (Manhattan) → Provincetown, Massachusetts → Worcester, Massachusetts (birthplace/childhood)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Editor, Translator, Professor
- Active Years
- 1926-2005
- Affiliations
- Fine Arts Work Center (founder/leader), Poets House (supporter/participant), Columbia University School of the Arts (adjunct professor)
- Influenced By
- Carl Jung (psychological/symbolic influence)
- Influenced
- James Wright, Mark Doty, Louise Glück, Carolyn Kizer
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | Harvard College | English | BA, MA | 1922–1927 | United States |
Harvard University
Harvard College
/ English
Degree:
BA, MA
Period:
1922–1927
Year of Graduation:
1927
Country:
United States
Received BA (summa cum laude) in 1926 and MA in 1927. Was discouraged from doctoral study due to antisemitism of the time.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry | Selected Poems, 1928-1958 | — | Pulitzer Prize Board | winner |
| 1995 | National Book Award for Poetry | Passing Through: the Later Poems, New and Selected | — | National Book Foundation | winner |
| 1998 | Robert Frost Medal | — | — | Poetry Society of America (awarding organization) | recipient |
| 1998 | Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award | — | — | The Peace Abbey | recipient |
| 2006 | L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award | The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden | — | PEN New England | winner |
| — | Bollingen Prize | — | — | Bollingen Prize Committee | recipient |
| — | National Medal of Arts | — | — | United States government (awarding body) | recipient |
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1959
Work:
Selected Poems, 1928-1958
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize Board
Result:
winner
National Book Award for Poetry
1995
Work:
Passing Through: the Later Poems, New and Selected
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
winner
Robert Frost Medal
1998
Organization:
Poetry Society of America (awarding organization)
Result:
recipient
Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award
1998
Organization:
The Peace Abbey
Result:
recipient
L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award
2006
Work:
The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden
Organization:
PEN New England
Result:
winner
Bollingen Prize
Organization:
Bollingen Prize Committee
Result:
recipient
National Medal of Arts
Organization:
United States government (awarding body)
Result:
recipient
Awards & Nominations
Bollingen Prize for Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 34 (1987) Winner
Works
Major Works
Intellectual Things
1930 PoetryEarly collection characterized by intellectual and philosophical poems.
intellectphilosophy
Passport to the War
1944 PoetryCollection that includes wartime poems; initially went largely unnoticed though it contains some well-known pieces.
warloss
Selected Poems, 1928-1958
1958 Poetry (selected)Selected poems from early to mid career. This volume won the Pulitzer Prize.
lossself-exploration
The Testing-Tree
1971 PoetryA pivotal collection marking a stylistic shift to more personal, breath-based free verse.
renewaltime
Passing Through: the Later Poems, New and Selected
1995 Poetry (selected)A collection focusing on later poems; winner of the 1995 National Book Award.
agingmemorygardens
The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden
2005 Essays / MemoirLate-life collection of essays reflecting on gardens, poetry, and a century of experience.
gardensreminiscencereflection on poetry
Bibliography
- Intellectual Things (1930)
- Passport to the War (1944)
- Selected Poems, 1928-1958 (1958)
- The Testing-Tree (1971)
- The Terrible Threshold: Selected poems, 1940-1970 (1974)
- The Poems of Stanley Kunitz, 1928–1978 (1979)
- Next-to-Last Things: New Poems and Essays (1985)
- Passing Through: the Later Poems, New and Selected (1995)
- The Collected Poems of Stanley Kunitz (2000)
- The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden (2005)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Symbolic and psychologically influencedEarly work intellectual and philosophical; later work more personal and breath-based free verseCondensed imagery with disciplined narrative lines
- Recurring Motifs
- loss and renewalgardens and naturememory and timeself-exploration
Legacy
A major influence on late 20th-century American poetry. Contributed to library and poetry communities, taught for decades, received numerous major awards, and continued publishing into his centenarian years, influencing subsequent generations of poets.
Archives
- The Stanley Kunitz Papers, Princeton University
In Popular Culture
- Influence on literary communities through Poets House and the Fine Arts Work Center
Quotes
-
In a murderous time the heart breaks and breaks and lives by breaking. It is necessary to go through dark and deeper dark and not to turn.
Source: Excerpt from the poem in The Testing-Tree (1971)
Trivia
- Divided his time between Manhattan and Provincetown for much of his life.
- Served twice as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (precursor to Poet Laureate).
- Died at age 100 and continued writing into his centenary year.