Howard Phelps Putnam (1894 – 1948) was an

American poet The poets listed below were either born in the United States or else published much of their poetry while living in that country. A B C D E F G H I–J K L M N O P Q *George Quasha (born 1942 in poetry, 1942) R ...

who published two books, ''Trinc'' and ''The Five Seasons''.

Biography

Phelps Putnam was born in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

in 1894 and attended

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

. He enrolled at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

where he was a member of the secret society

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior Secret society#Colleges and universities, secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class ...

and was among the "Renaissance" generation of talented Yale-educated writers (which includes alumni such as

Stephen Vincent Benét Stephen Vincent Benét ( ; July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He wrote a book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, '' John Brown's Body'', published in 1928, for which he receive ...

, Henry R. Luce,

Archibald MacLeish Archibald MacLeish (May 7, 1892 – April 20, 1982) was an American poet and writer, who was associated with the modernist school of poetry. MacLeish studied English at Yale University and law at Harvard University. He enlisted in and saw action ...

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

, and

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and a U. ...

). Following graduation Putnam traveled to Europe and worked a series of odd jobs including a brief period as an assistant editor for the Atlantic Monthly Press and writing advertising copy for an insurance company. Putnam's first book of poems, ''Trinc'', Rabelaisian for drink, was published in 1927. Following ''Trinc'' Putnam set to work on an epic, to be titled ''The Earthly Comedy''. In 1930 Putnam was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

and the following year he published ''The Five Seasons'' (1931). This volume marks the beginning of Putnam's work towards producing ''The Earthly Comedy'', however, Putnam died in 1948 before completing his epic, perhaps thwarted by his ill health (asthma and alcoholism) and the paralyzing ambition of his plans. As F.O. Matthiessen acknowledges in his essay “To the Memory of Phelps Putnam” “he sketched a poem too vast ever to be able to shoulder the weight of writing it”. Putnam wrote little in his later years, which largely consists of poetry published in various magazines and lyrics for a musical collaboration with Harl McDonald entitled ''Songs of Conquest: Cycle for Chorus of Mixed Voices'' (1937). Putnam's love life appears to have superseded his poetic reputation. Twice married (to Ruth Peters and Una Fayerweather) Putnam had numerous affairs, including trysts with

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

and painter

Russell Cheney Russell Cheney (October 16, 1881 – July 12, 1945) was an American Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and New England regionalist painter. Early life and education The youngest of eleven children, Cheney was born in Manchester, Connecticut, ...

. In her autobiography ''Me'' Hepburn writes of Putnam: "I took one look at him and I was stricken with whatever it is that strickens one at once and for no reason when one looks at a member of the opposite sex. He absolutely fascinated me. I flew up onto a pink cloud . . . ” Relative Rob Putnam is a TV writer in Los Angeles and writes for Music Connection magazine.

Notes

Bibliography

''Trinc''. New York: New York: Doran, 1927.
''The Five Seasons''. New York: Scribner, 1931.
With Harl McDonald. ''Songs of Conquest: Cycle for Chorus of Mixed Voices''. Philadelphia: Elkan-Vogel, Rev. ed. 1939.

References

Farwell Knapp PapersBeinecke Rare Book and Manuscript LibraryYale University
* Hepburn, Katharine. ''Me: Stories of My Life''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1991. * Mann, William J. ''Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn''. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2006. * Matthiessen, F.O. “To the Memory of Phelps Putnam”. In ''The Collected Poems of H. Phelps Putnam''. Ed. Charles Walker. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1971. {{DEFAULTSORT:Putnam, Phelps American male poets 1894 births 1948 deaths Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Yale University alumni Poets from Massachusetts 20th-century American poets 20th-century American male writers Members of Skull and Bones