Mary Ethel Barnard (December 6, 1909 – August 25, 2001) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

biographer Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. Biographers Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...

and

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

-to-

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

. She is known for her elegant rendering of the works of

Sappho Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...

, a translation which has never gone out of print. ''Paideuma: A Journal Devoted to Ezra Pound Scholarship'', Issue 94, was exclusively dedicated to her work and her correspondence with Pound. Barnard won a

Levinson Award Levinson is an Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish Jewish surname, surname meaning "son of Levi". Notable people with the surname include: * Aaron Levinson (born 1963), American producer, musician, composer and record label owner * André Levinson (18 ...

of Poetry from

Poetry Magazine ''Poetry'' (founded as ''Poetry: A Magazine of Verse'') has been published in Chicago since 1912. It is one of the leading monthly poetry journals in the English-speaking world. Founded by poet and arts columnist Harriet Monroe, who built it int ...

in 1935, and an Elliston Award for her ''Collected Poems'', a

Western States Book Award Western States Book Award honored notable works of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and translation written and published in the Western United States. The award was given annually from 1984 until 2002. Lifetime-achievement awards were also p ...

in 1986, (for ''Time and the White Tigress''). Among other honors were: the Washington State Governor's Award for achievement in the literary arts, and the

May Sarton May Sarton was the pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton (May 3, 1912 – July 16, 1995), a Belgian-American novelist, poet, and memoirist. Although her best work is strongly personalised with erotic female imagery, she resisted the label of ‘lesbi ...

Award for Poetry from the New England Poetry Club in 1987.

Biography

Shimer College class 1995 octagonal table

Barnard was born in

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

to Samuel Melvin and Bertha Hoard Barnard. Her father worked in the timber industry; growing up, she saw much of the backwoods in the vicinity as she accompanied her father to logging camps. She graduated from

Reed College Reed College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland, Portland, Oregon, E ...

, just south of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, in 1932. Barnard worked for a few years as a social worker for the Emergency Relief Administration, and while curator of

The Poetry Collection A University at Buffalo Libraries Special Collection, The Poetry Collection is a collection devoted to 20th-century poetry in English and English translation. Founded in 1937 by professor and poet Charles D. Abbott, the university's first director ...

at the Lockwood Memorial Library (

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

) arranged readings and amassed the writing of many modern poets. Barnard won several

Yaddo Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March ...

residencies circa 1936–38. Some of her first poetry was published during the years 1936 - 1940, in ''

Five Young American Poets ''Five Young American Poets'' was a three volume series of poetry anthologies released from 1940 to 1944. The series was published by New Directions Publishers (Norfolk, Connecticut; James Laughlin, publisher). Volume I - 1940 includes select ...

'', published by

New Directions Publishing New Directions Publishing Corp. is an independent book publishing company that was founded in 1936 by James Laughlin (1914–1997) and incorporated in 1964. Its offices are located at 80 Eighth Avenue in New York City. History New Directions ...

founded by

James Laughlin James Laughlin (October 30, 1914 – November 12, 1997) was an American poet and literary book publisher who founded New Directions Publishing. Early life He was born in Pittsburgh, the son of Henry Hughart and Marjory Rea Laughlin. Laughlin ...

. She worked from 1945 to 1950 as research assistant for

Carl van Doren Carl Clinton Van Doren (September 10, 1885 – July 18, 1950) was an American critic and biographer. He was the brother of critic and teacher Mark Van Doren and the uncle of Charles Van Doren. He won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Aut ...

, biographer of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

and generalist historian of Americana; she is acknowledged as having done most of the research on a biography of

Jane Mecom Jane Franklin Mecom (March 27, 1712 – May 7, 1794) was the youngest sister of Benjamin Franklin and was considered one of his closest confidants. Mecom and Franklin corresponded for sixty-three years, throughout the course of Ben Franklin's ...

, Franklin's youngest sister. Van Doren and Barnard had a common interest in the poet

Elinor Wylie Elinor Morton Wylie (September 7, 1885 – December 16, 1928) was an American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s. "She was famous during her life almost as much for her ethereal beauty and personality as for her melodious, sensu ...

. Barnard also worked as a freelance writer. Barnard was also a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Barnard was mentored via airmail from Italy by

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an List of poets from the United States, American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Ita ...

after she sent him six poems, and was introduced to the likes of

William Carlos Williams William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism. His '' Spring and All'' (1923) was written in the wake of T. S. Eliot's '' The Waste Land'' (1922). ...

and

Marianne Moore Marianne Craig Moore (November 15, 1887 – February 5, 1972) was an American Modernism, modernist poet, critic, translator, and editor. Her poetry is noted for its formal innovation, precise diction, irony, and wit. In 1968 Nobel Prize in Li ...

. This generated a lifetime of lengthy correspondence with the former in addition to comprehensive instruction on the art of poetry from Pound. Pound encouraged Barnard to use translations to hone her poetic abilities. Pound also encouraged Barnard to visit Europe, meet

H.D. Hilda Doolittle (September 10, 1886 – September 27, 1961) was an American modernist poet, novelist, and memoirist who wrote under the name H.D. throughout her life. Her career began in 1911 after she moved to London and co-founded th ...

, which did not happen despite pressure from Pound, and generally witness the continental European scene. In 1958, inspired by

Salvatore Quasimodo Salvatore Quasimodo (; 20 August 1901 – 14 June 1968) was an Italian poet and translator, awarded the 1959 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which with classical fire expresses the tragic experience of life in our own times" ...

's anthology ''Greci Lirici'', Barnard published '' Sappho: A New Translation'', with the encouragement of Pound, whom she sent the first drafts of the work. She returned to Vancouver after fifteen years on the East Coast and continued to write, mostly original poetry and prose, until her death.

Works

* ''A Few Poems'' (1952) * '' Sappho: A New Translation'' (

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

, 1958) * ''Mythmakers'' (

Ohio University Press Ohio University Press (OUP) is a university press associated with Ohio University. Founded in 1947, it is the oldest and largest scholarly press in the state of Ohio. Ohio University Press is also a member of the Association of University Presses ...

, 1966) * ''Collected Poems'' ( Breitenbush Books, 1979, introduction by William Stafford) * ''Three Fables'' (Breitenbush Books, 1983) * ''Assault on Mt. Helicon: A Literary Memoir'' (University of California Press, 1984) * ''Time and the White Tigress'' (Breitenbush Books, 1986, linocuts by Anita Bigelow) * ''Nantucket Genesis: The Tale of My Tribe'' (1988, memoir in verse)

Works cited

* *

References

External links

Mary Barnard page

Photo of bespectacled Barnard

* Mary Barnard Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Mary Ethel Barnard papers.
Reed College. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnard, Mary 1909 births 2001 deaths American women poets Greek–English translators Reed College alumni Poets from Oregon Writers from Vancouver, Washington 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American biographers American women biographers 20th-century American translators Ezra Pound

Biography

Works

See also

Works cited

References

External links