Wright, Charles

Wright, Charles,

1935–, American poet, b. Pickwick Dam, Tenn., B.A. Davidson College (1957), M.F.A. Iowa Writers' Workshop (1963), Fulbright Scholar, Univ. of Rome (1963–64). While in the army in Italy (1957–61), he began reading PoundPound, Ezra Loomis,
1885–1972, American poet, critic, and translator, b. Hailey, Idaho, grad. Hamilton College, 1905, M.A. Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1906. An extremely important influence in the shaping of 20th-century poetry, he was one of the most famous and controversial
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's Cantos, which, along with his Southern roots and ancient Chinese poetry, influenced his work. He has said the his poems examine "language, landscape, and the idea of God." His poetry collections include Hard Freight (1973), The Southern Cross (1981), The Other Side of the River (1984), Zone Journals (1988), Chickamauga (1995), Black Zodiac (1997; Pulitzer Prize), Appalachia (1998), A Short History of the Shadow (2002), Buffalo Yoga (2004), Scar Tissue (2006), Littlefoot: A Poem (2007), Sestets: Poems (2009), Outtakes (2010), and Caribou (2014). His collections of essays and interviews include Halflife (1988) and Quarter Notes (1995); his translations include those of Eugenio MontaleMontale, Eugenio
, 1896–1981, Italian poet, critic, and translator. After working as an editor, Montale became chief librarian of the Gabinetto Vieusseux in Florence.
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 in The Storm and Other Poems (1978). Wright, who was poet laureate of the United States (2014–15), has taught at the Univ. of California, Irvine (1966–83) and the Univ. of Virginia (1983–2010).

Bibliography

See interviews ed. by R. D. Denham (2008); studies by A. Giannelli, ed. (2006) and J. Moffett (2008); companions to Wright's early and late poetry by R. D. Denham (both: 2009).