William Carlos Williams
- Born:
- September 17, 1883, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
- Died:
- March 4, 1963, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
- Nationality:
- American
- Profession(s):
- Poet, Writer, Physician
Early Life and Education
- Born to an English father and a Puerto Rican mother.
- Educated at private schools before attending the Horace Mann School in New York City.
- Studied at the University of Pennsylvania, both in the College and the Medical School.
- Received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1906.
Career and Major Achievements
- Practiced medicine as a pediatrician in Rutherford, New Jersey, balancing his medical career with his writing.
- Associated with the Imagist and Objectivist poetry movements.
- Developed a distinct American idiom in his poetry, emphasizing everyday language and experiences.
- Served as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (1952).
- Posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1963 for Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems.
Notable Works
- Spring and All (1923)
- The Great American Novel (1923)
- In the American Grain (1925)
- Paterson (1946-1958) - an epic poem in five books.
- Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems (1962)
- Numerous volumes of poetry, plays, essays, and short stories.
- His published correspondence provides valuable insight into his life and work. Notably, The Selected Letters of William Carlos Williams.
- Readers interested in further details about the man himself should turn to what critics sometimes call, The Autobiography of William Carlos Williams, a unique reflection on his life.
Legacy and Impact
William Carlos Williams is considered one of the most important American poets of the 20th century. His emphasis on everyday language, concrete imagery, and the local landscape influenced generations of poets. He significantly contributed to the development of modern American poetry, leaving a lasting mark through his innovative style and subject matter.