Wallace Stevens

Walking Liberty Half Dollar 1945D Obverse

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Wallace Stevens House - Hartford, CT

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Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar with Mr. Wallace Stevens at Columbia University after receiving Doctor of Laws (LLD) on June 5, 1952

Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and spent most of his adult life working as an executive for an insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut. Stevens is known for his complex, philosophical poetry that explores the nature of reality, imagination, and language. His work is characterized by a rich use of imagery and a profound exploration of the human condition. Stevens received numerous awards during his lifetime, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1955 for his collection Collected Poems.

Biography

Wallace Stevens was born to a wealthy family in Reading, Pennsylvania. He attended Harvard University as a non-degree special student from 1897 to 1900. After leaving Harvard, he attended New York Law School, graduating in 1903. Stevens then worked for several law firms in New York City before joining the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company in 1916, where he would work until his death in 1955.

Despite his successful career in insurance, Stevens's passion lay in poetry. His first major publication, Harmonium (1923), was not initially successful but has since been recognized as one of the greatest works of American modernist poetry. Stevens continued to write and publish poetry throughout his life, with notable collections including Ideas of Order (1936), The Man with the Blue Guitar (1937), and Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction (1942).

Themes and Style

Stevens's poetry is known for its philosophical depth and exploration of the imagination's role in perceiving reality. He often pondered the relationship between the mind and the external world, the nature of art, and the process of creativity. His work is characterized by a rich, evocative use of language and imagery, drawing on both the natural world and abstract concepts.

Stevens's style evolved over his career, moving from the playful and whimsical tone of his early work to a more sober and reflective approach in his later poems. Despite these changes, his work remained deeply introspective and infused with a sense of mystery and wonder.

Legacy

Wallace Stevens is considered one of the most important American poets of the 20th century. His work has had a significant influence on subsequent generations of poets and has been the subject of extensive scholarly analysis. Stevens's exploration of the role of imagination and his questioning of the nature of reality continue to resonate with readers and writers alike.

His awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Collected Poems in 1955, just months before his death. Stevens's influence extends beyond literature; his concepts of imagination and reality have been explored in fields such as philosophy and psychology.

Selected Works

• Harmonium (1923)
• Ideas of Order (1936)
• The Man with the Blue Guitar (1937)
• Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction (1942)
• Collected Poems (1954)

See Also

• Modernist poetry
• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
• American literature