John Ciardi
| John Ciardi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 24, 1916 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 30, 1986 (aged 69) Metuchen, New Jersey |
| Occupation | Poet, teacher, etymologist, translator |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Italian |
| Alma mater |
Bates College Tufts University(transferred) University of Michigan |
| Notable works | La Divina Commedia translation |
| Notable awards | Hopwood Award |
| Spouse | Judith Hostetter |
| Children | Three |
John Anthony Ciardi (/ˈtʃɑːrdiː/ CHAR-dee; Italian: [ˈtʃardi]; June 24, 1916 – March 30, 1986) was an American poet, translator, and etymologist. While primarily known as a poet, he also translated Dante's Divine Comedy, wrote several volumes of children's poetry, pursued etymology, contributed to the Saturday Review as a columnist and long-time poetry editor, and directed the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in Vermont. In 1959, Ciardi published a book on how to read, write, and teach poetry, How Does a Poem Mean?, which has proven to be among the most-used books of its kind. At the peak of his popularity in the early 1960s, Ciardi also had a network television program on CBS, Accent. Ciardi's impact on poetry is perhaps best measured through the younger poets whom he influenced as a teacher and as editor of the Saturday Review.
Ciardi was born at home in Boston's North End in 1916. His father, an Italian immigrant, died in an automobile accident in 1919, and he was raised by his Italian mother (who was illiterate) and his three older sisters. In 1921, his family moved to Medford, Massachusetts, where he attended public schools. His family members saved enough money to send him to college. He entered Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, before transferring to Tufts University in Boston to study under poet John Holmes. He graduated from Tufts in 1938, and the following year completed his MA at the University of Michigan. UMich awarded him their Hopwood Prize for his Homeward to America, a poetry collection which he submitted under the pseudonym "Thomas Aquinas".
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