Richard Purdy Wilbur (March 1, 1921 – October 14, 2017) was an American poet and literary translator. One of the foremost poets of his generation, Wilbur's work, often employing rhyme, and composed primarily in traditional forms, was marked by its wit, charm, and gentlemanly elegance. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987 and received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry twice, in 1957 and 1989.[1]
When only eight years old, Wilbur published his first poem in John Martin's Magazine.[12] His first book, The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems, appeared in 1947. Thereafter he published several volumes of poetry, including New and Collected Poems (Faber, 1989). Wilbur was also a translator, specializing in the 17th century French comedies of Molière and dramas of Jean Racine. His translation of Tartuffe has become the play's standard English version and has been presented on television twice (a 1978 production is available on DVD). Wilbur also published several children's books, including Opposites, More Opposites, and The Disappearing Alphabet. In 1959 he became the general editor of The Laurel Poetry Series (Dell Publishing).
Continuing the tradition of Robert Frost and W. H. Auden, Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences. Less well-known is Wilbur's foray into writing theatre lyrics. He provided lyrics to several songs in Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musicalCandide, including the famous "Glitter and Be Gay" and "Make Our Garden Grow". He also produced several unpublished works, including "The Wing" and "To Beatrice".
^"Poet Laureate Timeline: 1981–1990". Library of Congress. 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
^ abc"Richard Wilbur, Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Winner, Dies at 96". The New York Times. October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
^Richard (Purdy) Wilbur, from the Dictionary of Literary Biography. Accessed January 1, 2012. "Wilbur showed an early interest in writing, which he has attributed to his mother's family because her father was an editor of the Baltimore Sun and her grandfather was an editor and a publisher of small papers aligned with the Democratic party. At Montclair High School, from which he graduated in 1938, Wilbur wrote editorials for the school newspaper."
^Meier, Andrew (October 2022). Morgenthau (First ed.). Random House. pp. 276, 299. ISBN 9781400068852.
^"About The Common – The Common". www.thecommononline.org. July 15, 2016.
^Ferney, Mark (October 15, 2017). "Richard Wilbur, Pulitzer-winning poet, dies at 96". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
^Aizenman, Hannah (October 16, 2017). "Richard Wilbur in the New Yorker". The New Yorker.
^"Richard Wilbur, Who Twice Won Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Dies at 96". Los Angeles Times. October 16, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2019. The U.S. poet laureate in 1987-88, Wilbur was often cited as an heir to Robert Frost and other New England writers and was the rare versifier to enjoy a following beyond the poetry community. He was regarded — not always favorably — as a leading "formalist," a master of old-fashioned meter and language who resisted contemporary trends. Wilbur was also known for his translations, especially of Moliere, Racine and other French playwrights.
^"Richard Wilbur, The Art of Poetry No. 22", The Paris Review, Interviews, Winter 1977 (72), Winter 1977, retrieved December 24, 2014.
^
"National Book Awards – 1957". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
(With acceptance speech by Wilbur and essay by Patrick Rosal from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog.)
^"PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation Winners". PEN America. April 29, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
^"Frost Medalists". Poetry Society of America. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
^"Wallace Stevens Award". Academy of American Poets. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
^"Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
^"MacDowell Medal winners — 1960–2011". The Telegraph. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
^ abcdefghij"Richard Wilbur". Poetry Foundation. October 18, 2017.
^ abcCarlson, Michael (October 17, 2017). "Richard Wilbur obituary". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
^"Edgar Allan Poe: Poems and Poetics". Library of America.
^The Misanthrope, Dramatists Play Service, 1966, ISBN 978-0-8222-1389-5.
^Tartuffe, Dramatists Play Service, 1991, ISBN 978-0-8222-1111-2.
^The School for Wives, Dramatists Play Service, October 1991, ISBN 978-0-8222-0999-7.
^The Learned Ladies, Dramatists Play Service, 1977, ISBN 978-0-8222-0648-4.
^School for Husbands, Dramatists Play Service, October 1991, ISBN 978-0-8222-0998-0.
^The Imaginary Cuckold, or Sganarelle, Dramatists Play Service, 1993, ISBN 978-0-8222-1331-4.
^Amphitryon, Dramatists Play Service, 1995, ISBN 978-0-8222-1439-7.
^The Bungler, Dramatists Play Service, 2000, ISBN 978-0-8222-1747-3.
^Don Juan, Dramatists Play Service, 1998, ISBN 978-0-8222-1657-5.
^Lovers' Quarrels, Dramatists Play Service, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8222-2159-3.
^"Forthcoming: Summer and Fall 2021". Library of America. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
^Andromache, Dramatists Play Service, 1982, ISBN 978-0-8222-0048-2.
^Phædra, Dramatists Play Service, 1986, ISBN 978-0-8222-0890-7.
^The Suitors, Dramatists Play Service, 2001, ISBN 978-0-8222-1804-3.
^Corneille, Pierre (April 2, 2007), The Theatre of Illusion, Mariner books, ISBN 978-0-15-603231-5.
^Le Cid, Dramatists Play Service, 2012, ISBN 978-0-8222-2501-0.
^The Liar, Dramatists Play Service, 2012, ISBN 978-0-8222-2502-7.
Sourcesedit
President and first Lady honor Artists and Scholars, Clinton, The White House – Office of the Press Secretary, October 13, 1994.
Further readingedit
Bagg, Robert; Bagg, Mary (2017). Let Us Watch Richard Wilbur: A Biographical Study. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 978-1625342249.
King, Brendan D., The Poet and the Counterrevolution: Richard Wilbur, the Free Verse Revolution, and the Revival of Rhymed Poetry, St Austin Review, March/April 2020, American Literature in the Twentieth Century, pages 15-19.
Richard Wilbur and the Things of This World, a documentary film by Ralph Hammann, 2017, Film Odysseys, Ltd. To be released.
External linksedit
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