Richard Purdy Wilbur (March 1, 1921 – October 14, 2017) was an American poet and literary translator. One of the foremost poets of his generation, Wilbur's work, composed primarily in traditional forms, was marked by its wit, charm, and gentlemanly elegance. He was appointed the second

Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate—serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national cons ...

in 1987 and received the

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 ...

twice, in 1957 and 1989.

Early years

Wilbur was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on March 1, 1921, and grew up in

North Caldwell, New Jersey North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...

. In 1938 he graduated from Montclair High School, where he worked on the school newspaper. He graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educati ...

in 1942 and served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

from 1943 to 1945 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He attended graduate school at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. Wilbur taught at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial ...

, then

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

for two decades and at

Smith College Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's coll ...

for another decade. At Wesleyan he was instrumental in founding the award-winning poetry series of the

University Press A university press is an academic publishing house specializing in monographs and scholarly journals. Most are nonprofit organizations and an integral component of a large research university. They publish work that has been reviewed by schola ...

. He received two Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and taught at

as late as 2009. He was on the editorial board of the literary magazine '' The Common'', based at

Literary career

When only eight years old, Wilbur published his first poem in ''John Martin's Magazine''. His first book, ''The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems'', appeared in 1947. Thereafter he published several volumes of poetry, including ''New and Collected Poems'' (Faber, 1989). Wilbur was also a translator, specializing in the 17th century French comedies of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

and dramas of

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...

. His translation of ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

'' has become the play's standard English version and has been presented on television twice (a 1978 production is available on DVD). Wilbur also published several children's books, including ''Opposites'', ''More Opposites'', and ''The Disappearing Alphabet.'' In 1959 he became the general editor of The Laurel Poetry Series (

Dell Publishing Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and so ...

). Continuing the tradition of

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American collo ...

and W. H. Auden, Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences. Less well-known is Wilbur's foray into lyric writing. He provided lyrics to several songs in

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

's 1956

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, Th ...

'', including the famous " Glitter and Be Gay" and "Make Our Garden Grow". He also produced several unpublished works, including "The Wing" and "To Beatrice". His honors included the 1983

Drama Desk Special Award The Drama Desk Special Award is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements by an individual or an organization that has made a significant contribution to the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway ...

and the

PEN Translation Prize The PEN Translation Prize (formerly known as the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize through 2008) is an annual award given by PEN America (formerly PEN American Center) to outstanding translations into the English language. It has been p ...

for his translation of ''

The Misanthrope ''The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover'' (french: Le Misanthrope ou l'Atrabilaire amoureux; ) is a 17th-century comedy of manners in verse written by Molière. It was first performed on 4 June 1666 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris ...

'', the

and the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

for ''Things of This World'' (1956),"National Book Awards – 1957"

National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...

. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
(With acceptance speech by Wilbur and essay by Patrick Rosal from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog.) the

Edna St Vincent Millay Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. She wrote much of he ...

award, the Bollingen Prize, and the Chevalier,

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes w ...

. He was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1959. In 1987 Wilbur became the second poet, after

Robert Penn Warren Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the lit ...

, to be named U.S. Poet Laureate after the position's title was changed from Poetry Consultant. In 1988 he won the

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 ...

and in 1989 he won a second Pulitzer, for his ''New and Collected Poems.'' On October 14, 1994, he received the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons ...

from President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

. He also received the

PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation The PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation, named in honor of U.S. translator Ralph Manheim, is a literary award given every three years by PEN America (the U.S. chapter of International PEN) to a translator "whose career has demonstrated a commit ...

in 1994. In 2003 Wilbur was inducted into the

American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...

. In 2006 he won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. In 2010 he won the

National Translation Award The National Translation Award is awarded annually by the American Literary Translators Association for literary translators who have made an outstanding contribution to literature in English by masterfully recreating the artistic force of a book o ...

for the translation of ''The Theatre of Illusion'' by

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patron ...

. In 2012

Yale University 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 w ...

conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters on Wilbur. Wilbur died on October 14, 2017, at a nursing home in

Belmont, Massachusetts Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It is a western suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, United States; and is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town's population stood at 27,29 ...

, from natural causes aged 96.

Awards and honors

During his lifetime, Wilbur received numerous awards in recognition of his work, including: *

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the art ...

for Creative Arts (1952, 1963) * Poetry Society of America Millay Award (1957) * National Book Award for Poetry (1957) for ''Things of This World'' *

(1957, 1989) for ''Things of This World'', ''New and Collected Poems'' * Bollingen Prize for Poetry (1971) * Shelley Memorial Award (1973) * New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical (1973–1974) for ''Candide'' *

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newsp ...

for Best Musical (1973–1974) for ''Candide'' *

(1983) for translation of ''The Misanthrope'' *

United States Poet Laureate The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate—serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national cons ...

(1987–1988) *

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for Musical of the Year (1988) for ''Candide'' *

St. Louis Literary Award The St. Louis Literary Award has been presented yearly since 1967 to a distinguished figure in literature. It is sponsored by the Saint Louis University Library Associates. Winners Past Recipients of the Award: *2023 Neil Gaiman *2022 Arundhat ...

from the

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, ...

Library Associates * American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Poetry (1991) * Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

(1995) *

(1994) * Frost Medal (1996) * Wallace Stevens Award (2003) * Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize (2006) * Edward MacDowell Medal (1992)

Bibliography

Poetry collections

* 1947: ''The Beautiful Changes, and Other Poems'' * 1950: ''Ceremony, and Other Poems'' * 1955: ''A Bestiary'' * 1956: ''Things of This World'' – won

and

, both in 1957 * 1961: ''Advice to a Prophet, and Other Poems'' * 1969: ''Walking to Sleep: New Poems and Translations'' * 1976: ''The Mind-Reader: New Poems'' * 1988: ''New and Collected Poems'' – won

in 1989 * 2000: ''Mayflies: New Poems and Translations'' * 2004: ''Collected Poems, 1943–2004'' * 2010: ''Anterooms''

Selected poems available online

* *

Prose collections

* 1976: ''Responses: Prose Pieces, 1953–1976'' * 1997: ''The Catbird's Song: Prose Pieces, 1963–1995''

Translated plays from other authors

Translated from Molière

* ''

'' (1955/1666) * ''

'' (1963/1669) * ''

The School for Wives ''The School for Wives'' (french: L'école des femmes; ) is a theatrical comedy written by the seventeenth century French playwright Molière and considered by some critics to be one of his finest achievements. It was first staged at the Palai ...

'' (1971/1662) * ''

The Learned Ladies ''Les Femmes savantes'' (''The Learned Ladies'') is a comedy by Molière in five acts, written in verse. A satire on academic pretension, female education, and préciosité (French for preciousness), it was one of his most popular comedies a ...

'' (1978/1672) * '' The School for Husbands'' (1992/1661) * '' The Imaginary Cuckold, or Sganarelle'' (1993/1660) * ''

Amphitryon Amphitryon (; Ancient Greek: Ἀμφιτρύων, ''gen''.: Ἀμφιτρύωνος; usually interpreted as "harassing either side", Latin: Amphitruo), in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns in Argolis. His mother was named ...

'' (1995/1668) * ''The Bungler'' (2000/1655) * ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

'' (2001/1665) * ''Lovers' Quarrels'' (2009/1656)

From Jean Racine

* ''

Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache (; grc, Ἀνδρομάχη, ) was the wife of Hector, daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled. The name means 'man battler ...

'' (1982/1667) * ''

Phaedra Phaedra may refer to: Mythology * Phaedra (mythology), Cretan princess, daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, wife of Theseus Arts and entertainment * ''Phaedra'' (Alexandre Cabanel), an 1880 painting Film * ''Phaedra'' (film), a 1962 film by ...

'' (1986/1677) * '' The Suitors'' (2001/1668)

From Pierre Corneille

* '' The Theatre of Illusion'' (2007/1636) * '' Le Cid'' (2009/1636) * '' The Liar'' (2009/1643).

References

Citations

Sources

* .

External links

* *
"The World is Fundamentally a Great Wonder"
Richard Wilbur in conversation with Arlo Haskell, October 21, 2009. ''Littoral''. *Readings by Wilbur at the Key West Literary Seminar
199320032010
*
Ernest Hilbert reviews Richard Wilbur's ''Collected Poems'' for the ''New York Sun''
* * ttp://www.choralwiki.org/wiki/index.php/Richard_Wilbur Settings of Richard Wilbur's poetry in the Choral Public Domain Librarybr>Wilbur's "Then" (1950)
– Composer Jonathan Elliott sets Wilbur's poem to music for Monadnock Music; also featuring Wilbur's reading of the poem {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilbur, Richard 1921 births 2017 deaths American male poets Anglican poets Formalist poets United States National Medal of Arts recipients American Poets Laureate National Book Award winners Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winners Amherst College alumni Harvard Advocate alumni Wesleyan University faculty Smith College faculty Montclair High School (New Jersey) alumni People from North Caldwell, New Jersey Writers from New York City Poets from New York (state) Poets from New Jersey Sonneteers Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Bollingen Prize recipients French–English translators Broadway composers and lyricists United States Army personnel of World War II Anglican lay readers World War II poets 20th-century translators United States Army soldiers Presidents of the American Academy of Arts and Letters