About
Adrienne Rich, born in Baltimore in 1929, is a major figure in American poetry and feminist thought. A graduate of Radcliffe College, she published her first collection, A Change of World, in 1951, noted by W.H. Auden. Her work, marked by political and social engagement, explores themes of identity, the body, sexuality, and justice. She received the National Book Award in 1974 for Diving into the Wreck, which she accepted on behalf of all women with Audre Lorde and Alice Walker. Her essays, including Of Woman Born and 'Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence,' have profoundly influenced feminist theory. She taught at several universities and received numerous honors, including the Bollingen Prize and the MacArthur Fellowship.
* 1929-05-16 — † 2012-03-27
Major works
- A Change of World (1951)poetry
- Diving into the Wreck (1973)poetry
- Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution (1976)non-fiction
- The Dream of a Common Language (1978)poetry
- Blood, Bread, and Poetry (1986)non-fiction
Key milestones
- 1974Receives the National Book Award for Diving into the Wreck, accepted jointly with Audre Lorde and Alice Walker on behalf of all women.
- 1997Refuses the National Medal of Arts on political grounds.
- 2006Receives the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
Themes
FeminismIdentity and sexualitySocial justiceBody and motherhoodPower and politics
Sources: id.loc.gov · poetryfoundation.org · nationalbook.org