Richard Wilbur

Richard Purdy Wilbur (born March 1, 1921, in New York City) is a United States poet. He graduated from Amherst College in 1942, then fought in Europe during World War II. After a teaching stint at Harvard University, he moved to Wesleyan University as Professor of English, a position he occupied for the rest of his career. He has twice been awarded the Pulitzer Prize. In 1987 he became the second poet, after Robert Penn Warren, to be named U.S. Poet Laureate.

Related Topics:
March 1 - 1921 - New York City - United States - Poet - Amherst College - 1942 - Europe - World War II - Harvard University - Wesleyan University - English - Pulitzer Prize - 1987 - Robert Penn Warren - U.S. Poet Laureate

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From the start, Wilbur's poetry was characterized by a formal and refined structure that he helped to make popular. His poems' beauty is in their simplicity and their brevity, though even his longer and most complex poems (see "The Mind-Reader" or "Walking to Sleep") read easily. It is possible for the average educated reader to finish Wilbur's collected poems at a single sitting. For this reason, Wilbur is sometimes dismissed as a lightweight or a reactionary. Continuing and refining the tradition of Robert Frost and W. H. Auden, Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences and expresses it in beautiful, carefully wrought language.

Related Topics:
Robert Frost - W. H. Auden

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Less well-known is Wilbur's foray into lyric writing. He provided many of the finer lyrical touches in Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical, Candide.

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Lyric - Leonard Bernstein - 1956 - Musical - Candide

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He is also noted as a translator, particularly of 17th century French dramas, whose original verse forms give prove Wilbur competent in both translation and verse. His translations of Molière and Jean Racine are well regarded and many are still in print.

Related Topics:
17th century - French - Drama - Molière - Jean Racine

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