Frank O'Hara

Francis Russell O'Hara (June 27, 1926–July 25, 1966) was an American poet who, along with John Ashbery, James Schuyler and Kenneth Koch, was a key member of what was known as the New York School.

Related Topics:
June 27 - 1926 - July 25 - 1966 - American poet - John Ashbery - Kenneth Koch - New York School

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Frank O'Hara, the son of Russell Joseph O'Hara and Katherine Broderick, was born in Baltimore, grew up in Massachusetts and attended Harvard, where he roomed with artist Edward Gorey. He moved to New York City in 1951.

Related Topics:
Baltimore - Massachusetts - Harvard - Edward Gorey - New York City - 1951

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His work was immediate and was often quickly typed out. (One collection, Lunch Poems was so named because he typed them up on his lunch hour.) Low and high cultural references mingle easily in his work, with an often dreamlike lyricism. His most anthologized poems are "Why I Am Not a Painter" and "The Day Lady Died," the latter about Billie Holiday.

Related Topics:
Lunch Poems - Why I Am Not a Painter - The Day Lady Died - Billie Holiday

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O'Hara was notoriously disorganized. The story goes that before being published by City Lights Bookstore publishing house, poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti had to fly from San Francisco to New York and literally search through all of O'Hara's coat pockets and such to find all of his poems, though it is unknown how many poems were lost.

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O'Hara was active in the art world, working as a reviewer for Art News and as a curator for the Museum of Modern Art. He was friends with a number of prominent artists like Willem de Kooning, Larry Rivers and Bill Berkson.

Related Topics:
Art News - Museum of Modern Art - Artists - Willem de Kooning - Larry Rivers - Bill Berkson

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O'Hara died in a freak accident on Fire Island. He was run over by a dune buggy while sleeping on the beach.

Related Topics:
Freak accident - Fire Island - Dune buggy - Beach

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