ROBERT PINSKY
Robert Pinsky was born on October 20, 1940, in Long Branch, New Jersey. Even as
a child, Pinsky was conscious of his love for the arts. His father, Milford
Simon, was an optician. Sylvia, his mother, wanted her son to become an optician,
too. Instead, Robert became the first person in his family to go to college.
While attending Rutgers University, Pinsky copied his favorite poem?William
Butler Yeats? ?Sailing to Byzantium??by hand, and taped it to his wall for
inspiration. In 1961 Robert married Ellen Jane Bailey, a clinical psychologist.
Over the course of the next 10 years, the Pinsky family would add three
daughters?Nicole, Caroline Rose, and Elizabeth. Upon graduation in 1962, Pinsky
enrolled in graduate school at Stanford University in California. After
receiving his PhD from Stanford, he returned to the East Coast to teach at
Wellesley College from 1968 to 1980. In 1980 he trekked back to California to
join the English Department at The University of California at Berkeley.
Pinsky?s first volume of poetry, Sadness and Happiness, published in 1975,
further intrigued him to examine literary compositions. In an attempt to explain
his unique approach to writing poetry, Robert Pinsky published extensive volumes
of literary criticism, including The Situation of Poetry: Contemporary Poetry in
Its Traditions, Poetry and the World, and The Sounds of Poetry. Published in
1976, The Situation of Poetry articulates Pinsky?s need to ?find a language for
presenting the role of a conscious soul in an unconscious world.? Pinsky?s
approach to poetry incorporates psychological insight, historical accounts, and
even comedic relief.
Pinsky?s love of knowledge and desire to create led him to publish his most
famous poem in 1994, The Inferno of Dante: A New Verse Translation. This book
enthralled Pinsky who said, ?I literally could not stop working on it.? He
worked obsessively, writing until the point of sleep. ?We have pillowcases
stained with ink where my wife took the pen out of my hand at night.? Inferno
ended up on the best-sellers list. New Yorker contributor Edward Hirsch said, ?The
primary strength of this translation is the way it maintains the original?s
episodic and narrative velocity while mirroring its formal shape and character.
It is no small achievement to reproduce Dante?s rhyme scheme and at the same
time sound fresh and natural in English, and Pinsky succeeds in creating a
supple American equivalent for Dante?s vernacular music where many others have
failed.? Inferno received both The Los Angeles Times Book Review Award and the
Howard Morton Landon Prize for Translation in 1995. Pinsky?s masterpiece
furthered his successful career in writing, and earned him his next job: Poet
Laureate of the United States.
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington appointed Robert Pinsky to be the
ninth Poet Laureate and the country?s 39th Consultant in Poetry in 1997. The
position of Poet Laureate requires recipients to complete an annual lecture on
their poetry as well as introduce poets in the Library?s annual poetry series (among
the oldest in the country). In addition, the Laureate is expected to raise
public awareness of poetry through programs and country-wide projects. The
energetic Pinsky was elated to receive the title of Poet Laureate for three
consecutive terms; ?American poetry has been one of our national achievements.
Along with the honor of following the American poets who have held this post, I
have an opportunity to continue our appreciation of that treasure. I am very
pleased.?
In 1997 Pinsky also started ?The Favorite Poem Program.? Now compiled on an
internet database, the program initially invited 100 average Americans to read
their favorite poetry and have it recorded for the official archives of the
Library of Congress. The program was a huge success, receiving over 18,000
submissions and attracting people from all walks of life. During his final year
as Poet Laureate of the United States, Pinsky served as the celebrity judge for
the selection of the Poet Laureate for Montgomery County. Founded in 1999 by
Joanne Leva, a resident of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, each year the Montgomery
County Poet Laureate Program selects a local poet to write and read poems for
county events in the coming year. Three other poets, including the celebrity
judge, select the winner by identifying and ranking the top 25 poems submitted
by all the applicants.
At age 64, Robert Pinsky, a self-proclaimed email addict, currently serves as
poetry editor for Slate, an online weekly Internet magazine. Unable to quell his
love of the east coast, Robert left Berkley in 1988 to take a position at Boston
University in the English department. He now teaches a poetry workshop for
graduate students. During the baseball season, he can be spotted at Fenway Park
cheering on the Boston Red Sox. Mr. Pinsky and his wife Ellen reside in Newton
Corner, Massachusetts.
Robert Pinsky was born on October 20, 1940, in Long Branch, New Jersey. Even as
a child, Pinsky was conscious of his love for the arts. His father, Milford
Simon, was an optician. Sylvia, his mother, wanted her son to become an optician,
too. Instead, Robert became the first person in his family to go to college.
While attending Rutgers University, Pinsky copied his favorite poem?William
Butler Yeats? ?Sailing to Byzantium??by hand, and taped it to his wall for
inspiration. In 1961 Robert married Ellen Jane Bailey, a clinical psychologist.
Over the course of the next 10 years, the Pinsky family would add three
daughters?Nicole, Caroline Rose, and Elizabeth. Upon graduation in 1962, Pinsky
enrolled in graduate school at Stanford University in California. After
receiving his PhD from Stanford, he returned to the East Coast to teach at
Wellesley College from 1968 to 1980. In 1980 he trekked back to California to
join the English Department at The University of California at Berkeley.
Pinsky?s first volume of poetry, Sadness and Happiness, published in 1975,
further intrigued him to examine literary compositions. In an attempt to explain
his unique approach to writing poetry, Robert Pinsky published extensive volumes
of literary criticism, including The Situation of Poetry: Contemporary Poetry in
Its Traditions, Poetry and the World, and The Sounds of Poetry. Published in
1976, The Situation of Poetry articulates Pinsky?s need to ?find a language for
presenting the role of a conscious soul in an unconscious world.? Pinsky?s
approach to poetry incorporates psychological insight, historical accounts, and
even comedic relief.
Pinsky?s love of knowledge and desire to create led him to publish his most
famous poem in 1994, The Inferno of Dante: A New Verse Translation. This book
enthralled Pinsky who said, ?I literally could not stop working on it.? He
worked obsessively, writing until the point of sleep. ?We have pillowcases
stained with ink where my wife took the pen out of my hand at night.? Inferno
ended up on the best-sellers list. New Yorker contributor Edward Hirsch said, ?The
primary strength of this translation is the way it maintains the original?s
episodic and narrative velocity while mirroring its formal shape and character.
It is no small achievement to reproduce Dante?s rhyme scheme and at the same
time sound fresh and natural in English, and Pinsky succeeds in creating a
supple American equivalent for Dante?s vernacular music where many others have
failed.? Inferno received both The Los Angeles Times Book Review Award and the
Howard Morton Landon Prize for Translation in 1995. Pinsky?s masterpiece
furthered his successful career in writing, and earned him his next job: Poet
Laureate of the United States.
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington appointed Robert Pinsky to be the
ninth Poet Laureate and the country?s 39th Consultant in Poetry in 1997. The
position of Poet Laureate requires recipients to complete an annual lecture on
their poetry as well as introduce poets in the Library?s annual poetry series (among
the oldest in the country). In addition, the Laureate is expected to raise
public awareness of poetry through programs and country-wide projects. The
energetic Pinsky was elated to receive the title of Poet Laureate for three
consecutive terms; ?American poetry has been one of our national achievements.
Along with the honor of following the American poets who have held this post, I
have an opportunity to continue our appreciation of that treasure. I am very
pleased.?
In 1997 Pinsky also started ?The Favorite Poem Program.? Now compiled on an
internet database, the program initially invited 100 average Americans to read
their favorite poetry and have it recorded for the official archives of the
Library of Congress. The program was a huge success, receiving over 18,000
submissions and attracting people from all walks of life. During his final year
as Poet Laureate of the United States, Pinsky served as the celebrity judge for
the selection of the Poet Laureate for Montgomery County. Founded in 1999 by
Joanne Leva, a resident of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, each year the Montgomery
County Poet Laureate Program selects a local poet to write and read poems for
county events in the coming year. Three other poets, including the celebrity
judge, select the winner by identifying and ranking the top 25 poems submitted
by all the applicants.
At age 64, Robert Pinsky, a self-proclaimed email addict, currently serves as
poetry editor for Slate, an online weekly Internet magazine. Unable to quell his
love of the east coast, Robert left Berkley in 1988 to take a position at Boston
University in the English department. He now teaches a poetry workshop for
graduate students. During the baseball season, he can be spotted at Fenway Park
cheering on the Boston Red Sox. Mr. Pinsky and his wife Ellen reside in Newton
Corner, Massachusetts.