On January 20, 1961, 87-year-this famous American writer recited his poem The Gift Outright at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. Although he had written a new poem for the occasion, titled Dedication, faint ink in his typewriter made the words difficult to read, so he recited The Gift Outright from memory. He was born in California in 1874, the son of a journalist who died when he was 11. His mother brought him to Massachusetts, where he graduated as co-valedictorian of his high school class. He attended Dartmouth and Harvard but didnt complete a degree at either school. Three years after high school, her married his fellow high school valedictorian, Elinor White. He tried unsuccessfully to run a New England farm, and the family, which soon included four children, struggled with poverty for two decades. Increasingly depressed, he moved his family to England to make a fresh start in 1912. There, he published a poetry collection called A Boys Will in 1913, which won praise from English critics and helped him win a U.S. publishing contract for his second book, North of Boston (1914). The American public took a liking to the 40-year-old, who returned to the United States when World War I broke out and bought another farm in New Hampshire. He continued to publish books, and taught and lectured at Amherst, University of Michigan, Harvard, and Dartmouth. He endured personal tragedy when a son committed suicide and a daughter had a mental breakdown. While he never graduated from a university, he had collected 44 honorary degrees before he died in 1963. Name this man of many poignant, rhythmic, and well situated words.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 23:16:26 +0000
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