97th Infantry Division and was sent to the battlefields in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
. He saw combat in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in the "
Ruhr Pocket" and in
Cheb
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German-s ...
in
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. However, his most significant experience occurred on April 23, 1945, when Hecht's division helped liberate
Flossenbürg concentration camp
Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office. Unlike other concentration camps, it was located in a remote area, in the Fichtel Mountains of Bavaria, adjacent to the town of Flo ...
. Hecht was ordered to interview French prisoners in the hope of gathering evidence on the camp's commanders. Years later, Hecht said of this experience,
The place, the suffering, the prisoners' accounts were beyond comprehension. For years after I would wake shrieking.
Career
After the war ended, Hecht was sent to
Occupied Japan
Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the
Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United State ...
, where he became a staff writer with ''
Stars and Stripes''. He returned to the US in March 1946 and immediately took advantage of the
G.I. bill
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...
to study under the poet-critic
John Crowe Ransom at
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. Here he came into contact with fellow poets such as
Randall Jarrell
Randall Jarrell (May 6, 1914 – October 14, 1965) was an American poet, literary critic, children's author, essayist, and novelist. He was the 11th Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—a position that now bears the title Poe ...
,
Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop (February 8, 1911 – October 6, 1979) was an American poet and short-story writer. She was Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1949 to 1950, the Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry in 1956, the National Book Awar ...
, and
Allen Tate
John Orley Allen Tate (November 19, 1899 – February 9, 1979), known professionally as Allen Tate, was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and poet laureate from 1943 to 1944.
Life
Early years
Tate was born near Winchester, ...
. He later received his
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. In 1947 Hecht attended the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
and taught in the
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a celebrated graduate-level creative writing program in the United States. The writer Lan Samantha Chang is its director. Graduates earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative W ...
, together with writer
Robie Macauley
Robie Mayhew Macauley (May 31, 1919 – November 20, 1995) was an American editor, novelist and critic whose literary career spanned more than 50 years.
Biography
Early life
Robie Macauley was born on May 31, 1919, in Grand Rapids, Michigan ...
, with whom Hecht had served during World War II, but, suffering from
post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats o ...
after his war service, gave it up swiftly to enter psychoanalysis.
In spring, 1947, he taught at Kenyon. His first poems, "Once Removed" and "To a Soldier Killed in Germany", were published in
The Kenyon Review
''The Kenyon Review'' is a literary magazine based in Gambier, Ohio, US, home of Kenyon College. ''The Review'' was founded in 1939 by John Crowe Ransom, critic and professor of English at Kenyon College, who served as its editor until 1959. ' ...
. Later that year, he suffered a nervous breakdown and returned to his parents' home in New York City and entered psychoanalysis.
In 1948, his poems begin to appear in
The Hudson Review
''The Hudson Review'' is a quarterly journal of literature and the arts.
History
It was founded in 1947 in New York, by William Arrowsmith, Joseph Deericks Bennett, and George Frederick Morgan. The first issue was introduced in the spring of 194 ...
,
Poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
, and Furioso. He later won the Furioso Poetry Award and enrolled at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
as a candidate for a master's degree in English literature.
Hecht released his first collection, ''A Summoning of Stones'', in 1954. Even at this stage Hecht's poetry was often compared with that of
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...
, with whom Hecht had become friends in 1951 during a holiday on the Italian island of
Ischia
Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately east to west ...
, where Auden spent each summer. In 1993 Hecht published ''The Hidden Law'', a critical reading of Auden's body of work. In his second book, ''The Hard Hours'', Hecht first addressed his own experiences of World War II – memories that had caused him to have a
nervous breakdown
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...
in 1959. Hecht spent three months in hospital following his breakdown, although he was spared
electric shock therapy, unlike
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, '' Th ...
, whom he had encountered while teaching at
Smith College.
Hecht's main source of income was as a teacher of poetry, most notably at the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...
, where he taught from 1967 to 1985. He also spent varying lengths of time teaching at other notable institutions such as Smith, Bard,
Harvard,
Georgetown, and
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
. Between 1982 and 1984, he held the esteemed position of
Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Hecht won a number of literary awards including: the 1968
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually for Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first presented in 1922, and is given for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, published ...
(for ''The Hard Hours''), the 1983
Bollingen Prize
The Bollingen Prize for Poetry is a literary honor bestowed on an American poet in recognition of the best book of new verse within the last two years, or for lifetime achievement. , the 1988
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is awarded annually by The Poetry Foundation, which also publishes ''Poetry'' magazine. The prize was established in 1986 by Ruth Lilly. It honors a living U.S. poet whose "lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordina ...
, the 1989
Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry
The Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry is an annual prize, administered by the ''Sewanee Review'' and the University of the South, awarded to a writer who has had a substantial and distinguished career. It was established through a beq ...
, the 1997
Wallace Stevens Award
The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...
, the 1999/2000
Frost Medal
The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the society have included such renowned poets as Witter Bynner, Ro ...
, and the Tanning Prize.
Hecht died on October 20, 2004, at his home in Washington, D. C.;
he is buried at the cemetery at Bard College. One month later, on November 17, Hecht was awarded the
National Medal of Arts, accepted on his behalf by his wife, Helen Hecht.
The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize is awarded annually by the Waywiser Press.
[The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize](_blank)
Literary style, inspirations, and themes
Hecht is known for his masterful use of traditional forms and linguistic control. Extraordinarily erudite, his verse often features allusions to French literature, Greek myth, and tragedy, and English poets and poetry stretching from Wallace Stevens to John Donne.
He is often described as a "traditionalist".
In The Hard Hours (1967), Hecht begins to use his experiences as a soldier in Europe during World War II.
Bibliography
; Poetry
* ''
A Summoning of Stones'' (1954)
* ''
The Hard Hours
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1967)
* ''
Millions of Strange Shadows
A million is 1,000,000.
Millions or Million may refer to:
Films
* ''Millions'' (1936 film), a British comedy film
* ''Millions'' (1991 film), an English-language Italian drama
* ''Millions'' (2004 film), a British comedy-drama
* ''A Million'', ...
'' (1977)
* ''
The Venetian Vespers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1979)
* ''
The Transparent Man
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1990)
*''Collected Earlier Poems'' (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1990)
* ''
Flight Among the Tombs'' (1998)
* ''The Darkness and the Light'' (2001)
*''Collected Later Poems'' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2003)
; Translations
* ''
Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes'' (1973) (with
Helen H. Bacon)
; Other Works
* ''
Obbligati: Essays in Criticism'' (1986)
* ''
The Hidden Law: The Poetry of W. H. Auden'' (1993)
* ''
On the Laws of the Poetic Art
On, on, or ON may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews
* ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin
* ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995
* ''On'' (Gary Glitter album), 2001
* ''On'' (Imperial Teen album), 200 ...
'' (1995)
* ''
Melodies Unheard: Essays on the Mysteries of Poetry'' (
Johns Hopkins University Press) (2003)
* ''
Literary Genius: 25 Classic Writers Who Define English & American Literature'' (2007) (Illustrated by
Barry Moser)
References
External links
*
*
*
Modern American Poetry SocietyHecht's page at Academy of American PoetsStuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library Emory University
Anthony Hecht papers, 1894-2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hecht, Anthony
United States Army personnel of World War II
American Poets Laureate
American male poets
Bard College alumni
Bard College faculty
Columbia University alumni
Formalist poets
Georgetown University faculty
American people of German-Jewish descent
Harvard University faculty
Iowa Writers' Workshop faculty
Jewish poets
Kenyon College alumni
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winners
Smith College faculty
United States Army soldiers
United States National Medal of Arts recipients
University of Iowa alumni
University of Rochester faculty
Yale University faculty
Horace Mann School alumni
1923 births
2004 deaths
Bollingen Prize recipients
20th-century American poets
21st-century American poets
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
World War II poets
American expatriates in Japan
Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters