Burton Hatlen
| Burton Hatlen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
9 April 1936 Santa Barbara, CA |
| Died | 21 January 2008 (aged 71) Bangor, ME |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | Professor, Poet |
| Notable work | I Wanted to Tell You |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Karlson (1961-1983); Virginia Nees-Hatlen (1983-2008) |
Burton Norval Hatlen (April 9, 1936 – January 21, 2008) was an American literary scholar and professor at the University of Maine. Hatlen worked closely with Carroll F. Terrell, an Ezra Pound scholar and co-founder of the National Poetry Foundation, to build the Foundation into an internationally known institution.
Hatlen was seen as a mentor by several of his former students, most notably author Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha King. In a postscript included in his 2006 novel, Lisey's Story, King said of Hatlen, "Burt was the greatest English teacher I ever had."
Burton Hatlen was born on April 9, 1936, in Santa Barbara, California. His father Julius immigrated in 1909 from Norway. He married Lily Torvend, a second generation Norwegian-American; they sometimes spoke Norwegian at home. Julius worked as a farm worker, but eventually ran his own apricot orchard. The couple, who were Lutherans, had three sons of which Burton was the youngest.
Hatlen received a full scholarship at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He later earned two separate master's degrees from both Harvard University and Columbia University. Following his master's, Hatlen taught at colleges in both Tennessee and Ohio. Hatlen finally earned his doctorate from the University of California, Davis in 1973. His doctoral dissertation was on the 17th century English poet, John Milton.
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