Robert Penn Warren

Robert Penn Warren by Oscar White, Pach Brothers Studio, c. 1970, gelatin silver print, from the National Portrait Gallery - NPG-NPG 93 388 37

Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic, and is considered one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Warren served as the first U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1986 to 1987. He is the only person to have won Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and poetry.

Early Life and Education

Robert Penn Warren was born in Guthrie, Kentucky, to Robert Franklin Warren, a businessman, and Anna Ruth Penn Warren, a schoolteacher. He showed an early interest in literature and was encouraged by his mother. Warren attended Vanderbilt University, where he became a member of the Fugitive Group, a collection of poets and writers who were critical of the Southern literary scene's conservatism. He later attended the University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University, where he received a B.Litt. degree. Warren also studied at New College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar.

Career

Warren's career spanned several decades, during which he published ten novels, numerous poems, and several books of literary criticism. His most famous work is the novel "All the King's Men" (1946), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1947. The novel, which is considered a classic of American literature, explores the life of a fictional Southern politician, Willie Stark, who resembles the real-life Huey Long of Louisiana. Warren's poetry, including collections such as "Promises: Poems 1954-1956," which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1958, and "Now and Then: Poems 1976-1978," which also won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, is known for its exploration of history, morality, and the nature of man.

In addition to his writing, Warren had a significant impact on literary criticism. He co-authored "Understanding Poetry," an influential textbook, with Cleanth Brooks, which helped establish the principles of New Criticism. This approach emphasized the importance of close reading and the analysis of literary texts as self-contained and self-referential entities.

Personal Life

Warren was married twice, first to Emma Brescia and then to writer Eleanor Clark, with whom he had two children. He spent his later years teaching at various institutions, including Yale University and Louisiana State University.

Legacy

Robert Penn Warren's legacy is profound. He is remembered not only for his contributions to American literature but also for his role in shaping modern literary criticism. His works continue to be studied and admired for their depth, complexity, and insight into the human condition.

Selected Works

• All the King's Men (1946)
• Night Rider (1939)
• At Heaven's Gate (1943)
• Promises: Poems 1954-1956 (1957)
• Now and Then: Poems 1976-1978 (1978)

Awards and Honors

• Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1947)
• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1958, 1979)
• U.S. Poet Laureate (1986-1987)