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Louis Simpson

October 15, 2023

For the shipping and timber magnate, see Louis J. Simpson.

Louis Aston Marantz Simpson (March 27, 1923 – September 14, 2012)[1] was an American poet born in Jamaica. He won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his work At the End of the Open Road.

Louis Simpson
Born
Louis Aston Marantz Simpson

(1923-03-27)March 27, 1923
Colony of Jamaica
DiedSeptember 14, 2012(2012-09-14) (aged 89)
Stony Brook, New York
EducationColumbia University (BA, MA, PhD)
OccupationPoet
Known for1964 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his work At the End of the Open Road

Life and career Edit

Simpson was born in Jamaica, the son of Rosalind (née Marantz) and Aston Simpson, a lawyer. His father was of Scottish and African ancestry. His mother was born in Russia (Simpson did not find out that he was of Jewish descent until his teenage years).[2][3][4] At the age of 17, he emigrated to the United States and began attending Columbia University, where he studied under Mark Van Doren.[5] During World War II, from 1943 to 1945 he was a member of the elite 101st Airborne Division and would fight in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Simpson was a runner for the company captain, which involved transporting orders from company headquarters to officers on the front line. His company was involved in a very bloody battle with German forces on the west bank of what is now the Carentan France Marina - Simpson wrote his poem "Carentan O Carentan" about the experience of US troops being ambushed there. In the Netherlands, he was involved in Market Garden and Opheusden fighting. At Veghel his company suffered 21 killed in a brutal shelling while in the local church yard. At Bastogne bitterly cold temperatures had to be endured while the 101st Division was surrounded by enemy forces for days. After the end of the war he attended the University of Paris.[1] Subsequently, he returned to the US and worked as an editor in New York. He later completed his B.A. at Columbia University's School of General Studies in 1948,[6] and completed his M.A. and Ph.D. at Columbia University in 1950 and 1959, respectively.[7]

His first book was The Arrivistes, published in 1949. It was hailed for its strong formal verse, but Simpson later moved away from the style of his early successes and embraced a spare brand of free verse.

He taught at universities including Columbia, the University of California-Berkeley, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He also briefly taught at The Stony Brook School[8] prior to his retirement. Simpson's lifelong expatriate status has influenced his poetry, and he often uses the lives of ordinary Americans in order to critically investigate the myths the country tells itself. Although he occasionally revisits the West Indies of his childhood, he always keeps one foot in his adopted country. The outsider's perspective allows him to confront "the terror and beauty of life with a wry sense of humor and a mysterious sense of fate," wrote Edward Hirsch of The Washington Post. Elsewhere Hirsch described Simpson's Pulitzer Prize–winning collection, At the End of the Open Road, as "a sustained meditation on the American character," noting, "The moral genius of this book is that it traverses the open road of American mythology and brings us back to ourselves; it sees us not as we wish to be but as we are." Collected Poems (1988) and There You Are (1995) focus on the lives of everyday citizens, using simple diction and narratives to expose the bewildering reality of the American dream. Poet Mark Jarman hailed Simpson as "a poet of the American character and vernacular."

Simpson lived on the North Shore of Long Island, near Stony Brook, New York. He died on September 14, 2012.[4][9]

Awards Edit

Selected works Edit

Novels Edit

  • Riverside Drive. Publisher, Atheneum, 1962

Poetry Edit

  • The Arrivistes: Poems, 1940–1949. Fine Editions Press. 1949.
  • Good News of Death. 1955. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  • A Dream of Governors: Poems. Wesleyan University Press. 1959.
  • At the End of the Open Road, Poems. Wesleyan University Press. 1963. ISBN 978-0-8195-2020-3.
  • Selected Poems. Harcourt, Brace & World. 1965.
  • Adventures of the Letter I. Harper & Row. 1971. ISBN 9780060138844.
  • Searching for the Ox. Oxford University Press. 1976. ISBN 978-0-19-211860-8.
  • Armidale. The Book Bus. 1979.
  • Caviare at the Funeral. F. Watts. 1980. ISBN 978-0-531-09937-7.
  • The Best Hour of the Night. Ticknor & Fields. 1983. ISBN 978-0-89919-203-1.
  • People Live Here: Selected Poems 1949–83. BOA Editions. 1983. ISBN 978-0-918526-43-4.
  • Collected Poems. Paragon House. 1988. ISBN 978-1-55778-047-8.
  • In the Room We Share. Paragon House. 1990. ISBN 978-1-55778-261-8.
  • There You Are: Poems. Story Line Press. 1995. ISBN 978-1-885266-15-6.
  • The Owner of the House: New Collected Poems, 1940–2001. BOA Editions, Ltd. 2003. ISBN 978-1-929918-39-3. Louis Aston Marantz Simpson.
  • Struggling Times. BOA Editions, Ltd. 2009. ISBN 9781934414194.
  • Voices in the Distance: Selected Poems. Bloodaxe Books. 2010. ISBN 978-1-85224-861-1.

Translations

  • Louis Aston Marantz, ed. (1997). Modern Poets of France: a bilingual anthology. Story Line Press. ISBN 978-1-885266-44-6.

Non-fiction Edit

  • James Hogg: A Critical study. St. Martin's Press. 1962.
  • Louis Aston Marantz Simpson, ed. (1968). An Introduction to Poetry. Macmillan.
  • Air with Armed Men. London Magazine Editions. 1972.
  • Three on the Tower. Morrow. 1975. ISBN 978-0-688-02899-2.
  • A Revolution in Taste: Studies of Dylan Thomas, Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, and Robert Lowell. MacMillan. 1978. ISBN 978-0-02-611320-5.
  • A Company of Poets. University of Michigan Press. 1981. ISBN 978-0-472-06326-0.
  • The Character of the Poet. University of Michigan Press. 1986. ISBN 978-0-472-09369-4.
  • Selected Prose. Paragon House. 1989. ISBN 978-1-55778-048-5.
  • Ships Going Into the Blue: Essays and Notes on Poetry. University of Michigan Press. 1994. ISBN 978-0-472-09559-9.
  • The King My Father's Wreck. Story Line Press. 1994. ISBN 978-0-934257-09-1.

References Edit

  1. ^ a b . Academy of American Poets. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Louis Simpson Biography – Cyclopedia of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edition". Enotes.com. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  3. ^ "Louis Simpson Criticism (Vol. 149)". Enotes.com. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  4. ^ a b Rothstein, Mervyn (18 September 2012). "Louis Simpson a Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet dies at 89". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  5. ^ "Mark Van doren", Columbia 250 – Colombian Ahead of Their Times Columbia University.
  6. ^ . Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  7. ^ "Louis Simpson, Poet of Everyday Life, Dies at 89". The New York Times. September 17, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  8. ^ "Prize-winning poet Louis Simpson dies". Newsday. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
  9. ^ "US poet Louis Simpson dies at 89". BBC News. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-18.

External links Edit

  •   Quotations related to Louis Simpson at Wikiquote
  • Poetry Foundation biographical essay and online poems
  • Griffin Poetry Prize biography
  • Griffin Poetry Prize reading, including video clip
  • Community remembers sacrifices in Harrison Daily, Harrison, Arkansas

October 15, 2023
louis, simpson, shipping, timber, magnate, louis, simpson, louis, aston, marantz, simpson, march, 1923, september, 2012, american, poet, born, jamaica, 1964, pulitzer, prize, poetry, work, open, road, bornlouis, aston, marantz, simpson, 1923, march, 1923colony. For the shipping and timber magnate see Louis J Simpson Louis Aston Marantz Simpson March 27 1923 September 14 2012 1 was an American poet born in Jamaica He won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his work At the End of the Open Road Louis SimpsonBornLouis Aston Marantz Simpson 1923 03 27 March 27 1923Colony of JamaicaDiedSeptember 14 2012 2012 09 14 aged 89 Stony Brook New YorkEducationColumbia University BA MA PhD OccupationPoetKnown for1964 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his work At the End of the Open Road Contents 1 Life and career 2 Awards 3 Selected works 3 1 Novels 3 2 Poetry 3 3 Non fiction 4 References 5 External linksLife and career EditSimpson was born in Jamaica the son of Rosalind nee Marantz and Aston Simpson a lawyer His father was of Scottish and African ancestry His mother was born in Russia Simpson did not find out that he was of Jewish descent until his teenage years 2 3 4 At the age of 17 he emigrated to the United States and began attending Columbia University where he studied under Mark Van Doren 5 During World War II from 1943 to 1945 he was a member of the elite 101st Airborne Division and would fight in France the Netherlands Belgium and Germany Simpson was a runner for the company captain which involved transporting orders from company headquarters to officers on the front line His company was involved in a very bloody battle with German forces on the west bank of what is now the Carentan France Marina Simpson wrote his poem Carentan O Carentan about the experience of US troops being ambushed there In the Netherlands he was involved in Market Garden and Opheusden fighting At Veghel his company suffered 21 killed in a brutal shelling while in the local church yard At Bastogne bitterly cold temperatures had to be endured while the 101st Division was surrounded by enemy forces for days After the end of the war he attended the University of Paris 1 Subsequently he returned to the US and worked as an editor in New York He later completed his B A at Columbia University s School of General Studies in 1948 6 and completed his M A and Ph D at Columbia University in 1950 and 1959 respectively 7 His first book was The Arrivistes published in 1949 It was hailed for its strong formal verse but Simpson later moved away from the style of his early successes and embraced a spare brand of free verse He taught at universities including Columbia the University of California Berkeley and the State University of New York at Stony Brook He also briefly taught at The Stony Brook School 8 prior to his retirement Simpson s lifelong expatriate status has influenced his poetry and he often uses the lives of ordinary Americans in order to critically investigate the myths the country tells itself Although he occasionally revisits the West Indies of his childhood he always keeps one foot in his adopted country The outsider s perspective allows him to confront the terror and beauty of life with a wry sense of humor and a mysterious sense of fate wrote Edward Hirsch of The Washington Post Elsewhere Hirsch described Simpson s Pulitzer Prize winning collection At the End of the Open Road as a sustained meditation on the American character noting The moral genius of this book is that it traverses the open road of American mythology and brings us back to ourselves it sees us not as we wish to be but as we are Collected Poems 1988 and There You Are 1995 focus on the lives of everyday citizens using simple diction and narratives to expose the bewildering reality of the American dream Poet Mark Jarman hailed Simpson as a poet of the American character and vernacular Simpson lived on the North Shore of Long Island near Stony Brook New York He died on September 14 2012 4 9 Awards Edit1962 Guggenheim Fellowship 1964 Pulitzer Prize Rome Prize 1998 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award 2004 Finalist Griffin Poetry Prize International Selected works EditNovels Edit Riverside Drive Publisher Atheneum 1962Poetry Edit The Arrivistes Poems 1940 1949 Fine Editions Press 1949 Good News of Death 1955 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help A Dream of Governors Poems Wesleyan University Press 1959 At the End of the Open Road Poems Wesleyan University Press 1963 ISBN 978 0 8195 2020 3 Selected Poems Harcourt Brace amp World 1965 Adventures of the Letter I Harper amp Row 1971 ISBN 9780060138844 Searching for the Ox Oxford University Press 1976 ISBN 978 0 19 211860 8 Armidale The Book Bus 1979 Caviare at the Funeral F Watts 1980 ISBN 978 0 531 09937 7 The Best Hour of the Night Ticknor amp Fields 1983 ISBN 978 0 89919 203 1 People Live Here Selected Poems 1949 83 BOA Editions 1983 ISBN 978 0 918526 43 4 Collected Poems Paragon House 1988 ISBN 978 1 55778 047 8 In the Room We Share Paragon House 1990 ISBN 978 1 55778 261 8 There You Are Poems Story Line Press 1995 ISBN 978 1 885266 15 6 The Owner of the House New Collected Poems 1940 2001 BOA Editions Ltd 2003 ISBN 978 1 929918 39 3 Louis Aston Marantz Simpson Struggling Times BOA Editions Ltd 2009 ISBN 9781934414194 Voices in the Distance Selected Poems Bloodaxe Books 2010 ISBN 978 1 85224 861 1 Translations Louis Aston Marantz ed 1997 Modern Poets of France a bilingual anthology Story Line Press ISBN 978 1 885266 44 6 Non fiction Edit James Hogg A Critical study St Martin s Press 1962 Louis Aston Marantz Simpson ed 1968 An Introduction to Poetry Macmillan Air with Armed Men London Magazine Editions 1972 Three on the Tower Morrow 1975 ISBN 978 0 688 02899 2 A Revolution in Taste Studies of Dylan Thomas Allen Ginsberg Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell MacMillan 1978 ISBN 978 0 02 611320 5 A Company of Poets University of Michigan Press 1981 ISBN 978 0 472 06326 0 The Character of the Poet University of Michigan Press 1986 ISBN 978 0 472 09369 4 Selected Prose Paragon House 1989 ISBN 978 1 55778 048 5 Ships Going Into the Blue Essays and Notes on Poetry University of Michigan Press 1994 ISBN 978 0 472 09559 9 The King My Father s Wreck Story Line Press 1994 ISBN 978 0 934257 09 1 References Edit a b Bio Louis Simpson Academy of American Poets Archived from the original on 15 April 2014 Retrieved 17 September 2012 Louis Simpson Biography Cyclopedia of World Authors Fourth Revised Edition Enotes com Retrieved 2012 09 18 Louis Simpson Criticism Vol 149 Enotes com Retrieved 2012 09 18 a b Rothstein Mervyn 18 September 2012 Louis Simpson a Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet dies at 89 New York Times Retrieved 2012 09 18 Mark Van doren Columbia 250 Colombian Ahead of Their Times Columbia University Notable Alumni Archived from the original on June 22 2019 Retrieved January 25 2013 Louis Simpson Poet of Everyday Life Dies at 89 The New York Times September 17 2012 Retrieved January 25 2013 Prize winning poet Louis Simpson dies Newsday Retrieved 2012 09 20 US poet Louis Simpson dies at 89 BBC News 18 September 2012 Retrieved 2012 09 18 External links Edit nbsp Quotations related to Louis Simpson at Wikiquote Poetry Foundation biographical essay and online poems Griffin Poetry Prize biography Griffin Poetry Prize reading including video clip Community remembers sacrifices in Harrison Daily Harrison Arkansas Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Louis Simpson amp oldid 1172572723, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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