Ruth Whitman (May 28, 1922 – December 1, 1999) 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 ...

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 ...

, and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

Career

Whitman received a B.A. and an M.A. from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

, and also taught at Radcliffe, and at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. Her eighth and last book is ''Hatshepshut, Speak to me'' (

Wayne State University Press Wayne State University Press (or WSU Press) is a university press that is part of Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 186 ...

, 1992), and her most well-known and well-regarded is ''Tamsen Donner: A Woman’s Journey''. She also translated poetry from

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

, and wrote the beloved poem ''Sisters.'' Her honors and awards include a Senior Fulbright Writer-in-Residence Fellowship to

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

, a Bunting Institute Fellowship, and a

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

Literature Fellowship. She won a 1969

National Jewish Book Award The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1943, is an American organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature. The goal of the council, as stated on its website, is "to promote the reading, writing and publishing of qual ...

in the English Poetry category for ''The Marriage Wig and Other Poems''. Her poems were published in literary journals and magazines including ''AGNI'' and ''

Ploughshares ''Ploughshares'' is an American literary journal established in 1971 by DeWitt Henry and Peter O'Malley in The Plough and Stars, an Irish pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since 1989, ''Ploughshares'' has been based at Emerson College in Bost ...

.'' She was an early cooperative member of

Alice James Books Alice James Books is an American non-profit poetry press located in New Gloucester, Maine. History and mission "Alice James Books was founded as a co-operative press in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, MA in 1973 by five women and two men: ...

, and was the poetry editor for ''Radcliffe Quarterly'' from 1980 - 1995. Her papers are held at the Hollis Archives at

Harvard Library Harvard Library is the network of libraries and services at Harvard University, a private Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Library is the oldest library system in the United States and both the largest academic librar ...

Personal life

The oldest daughter of Meyer David and Martha H. Bashein, né Sherman, Whitman was born on May 28, 1922, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. At the time of her death, she lived in

Middletown, Rhode Island Middletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,075 at the 2020 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown." History Issue ...

, and was married to Morton Sacks, a painter, and had three children, Rachel, Lee, and David. Her first marriage was to Cedric Whitman and her second to Firman Houghton.

Published works

Full-length Poetry Collections * ''Hatshepshut, Speak to me'' (

, 1992) * ''Laughing Gas: Poems, New and Selected'', 1963-1990 (Wayne State University Press, 1990) * ''The testing of Hanna Senesh'' (Wayne State University Press, 1986, with a historical background by Livia Rothkirchen) * ''Permanent Address'' (

, 1980) * ''Tamsen Donner: A Woman's Journey'' (Alice James Books, 1977) * ''The Passion of Lizzie Borden'' (October House, 1973) * ''The Marriage Wig and Other Poems'' ( Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968) * ''Blood & Milk Poems'' (Clarke & Way, 1963) Translations * ''The selected poems of Jacob Glatstein'' (October House, 1972) * ''An anthology of modern Yiddish poetry'' (October House, 1966) Non-fiction * ''Becoming a Poet: Source, Process, Practice'' (The Writer, Inc., 1982)

References

Sources

Library of Congress Online Catalog > Ruth Whitman

External links

Wayne State University Press > Author Page > Ruth Whitman

Jewish Women's Archive > ''Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia'' > Ruth Whitman, 1922 – 1999 > by Sylvia Rothchild
* Sylvia Rothchild
Biography of Ruth Whitman
Jewish Women Encyclopedia
Papers of Ruth Whitman, 1930-1998 (inclusive), 1940-1996 (bulk): A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitman, Ruth 1922 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American poets MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences faculty National Endowment for the Arts Fellows Radcliffe College alumni Radcliffe College faculty Writers from New York (state) Writers from Rhode Island American women poets 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American translators American writers