John Berryman

:For the English recipient of the Victoria Cross, see John Berryman (VC)

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John Berryman (originally John Smith) (October 25, 1914 - January 7, 1972) was an American poet, born in McAlester, Oklahoma. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and often considered one of the founders of the Confessional school of poetry. He is one of the figures acting as a bridge between the formally loose, socially aware poetry of the Beats and the personal, grieving poetry of Sylvia Plath. He was the author of The Dream Songs, which are playful, witty, and morbid. Berryman died by suicide in 1972.

Related Topics:
October 25 - 1914 - January 7 - 1972 - American - Poet - McAlester, Oklahoma - 20th century - Confessional - Beats - Sylvia Plath - Suicide

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Of his youthful self he said, 'I didn't want to be like Yeats; I wanted to be Yeats.'

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