About
William Carlos Williams was an American poet and physician, a major figure of modernism. Born in Rutherford, New Jersey, he practiced medicine for over forty years while writing. He advocated a poetry rooted in everyday life and spoken language, encapsulated in his phrase "No ideas but in things." His major work, the epic poem Paterson (1946-1958), explores American life through an industrial city. He was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1963.
* 1883-09-17 — † 1963-03-04
Major works
- Spring and All (1923)poetry collection
- Paterson (1946-1958)epic poem
- The Desert Music and Other Poems (1954)poetry collection
- Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems (1962)poetry collection
Key milestones
- 1906Earned his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
- 1950Won the first National Book Award for Poetry for the third volume of Paterson.
- 1963Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry posthumously for Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems.
Themes
American everyday lifeSpoken languageModernismMedicine and poetryPlace and identity
Sources: britannica.com · poetryfoundation.org · poets.org