b. 1889d. 1973
Conrad Aiken
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1930 for his Selected Poems and a National Book Award in 1954 for Collected Poems, Conrad Aiken was a poet and novelist greatly influenced by symbolism and interested in psychology and the musicality of verse.
Photo: Conrad Aiken, Poets.org
About
Though he was Georgia-born, Aiken was raised in Massachusetts by a great-great-aunt after his father shot his mother and then committed suicide. Much of Aiken’s interest in psychology may stem from this traumatic childhood experience. A graduate of Harvard, Aiken published several volumes of verse, including Earth Triumphant (1911), The Charnel Rose (1918) and And In the Hanging Gardens (1933). Despite his awards, he never gained popularity and became increasingly bitter towards other writers throughout his life.
Aiken was also instrumental in promoting the work of Emily Dickinson, and, due to his effort, she is now considered a major American poet.
–Christie Finn
Related Information
Poetry Foundation
poetryfoundation.org/poets/conrad-aikenPoets.org
poets.org/poetsorg/poet/conrad-aikenVideo
Sheet Music
Songfest
Leonard Bernstein
1. The Pennycandystore Beyond The El
2. A Julia de Burgos
3. To What You Said
4. Music I Heard With You
5. Zizi's Lament
6. Sonnet: What Lips My Lips Have Kissed...
2. A Julia de Burgos
3. To What You Said
4. Music I Heard With You
5. Zizi's Lament
6. Sonnet: What Lips My Lips Have Kissed...