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.

Works

• 1957: Things of This World Pulitzer Prize
• 1961: Advice to a prophet, and other poems
• 1989: New and Collected Poems Pulitzer Prize
• 2000: Mayflies
• 2004: Collected poems, 1943-2004