Theodore Roethke
| Theodore Roethke | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Theodore Huebner Roethke May 25, 1908 Saginaw, Michigan |
| Died | August 1, 1963 (aged 55) Bainbridge Island, Washington |
| Occupation | Teacher, poet, author |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Genre | American poetry |
| Notable works | The Waking, The Lost Son, The Far Field, Words for the Wind |
| Notable awards | Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award |
Theodore Huebner Roethke (/ˈrɛtki/ RET-kee; May 25, 1908 – August 1, 1963) was an American poet. He published several volumes of award-winning and critically acclaimed poetry. Roethke is regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential poets of his generation.
Roethke's work is characterized by its introspection, rhythm and natural imagery. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1954 for his book The Waking, and he won the annual National Book Award for Poetry twice, in 1959 for Words for the Wind and posthumously in 1965 for The Far Field.
In the November 1968 edition of the Atlantic Monthly, former U.S. Poet Laureate and author James Dickey wrote Roethke was: "in my opinion the greatest poet this country has yet produced."
Roethke was also a highly regarded poetry teacher. He taught at University of Washington for fifteen years. His students from that period won two Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and two others were nominated for the award. "He was probably the best poetry-writing teacher ever," said poet Richard Hugo, who studied under Roethke and was twice nominated for a Pulitzer.
Roethke was born in Saginaw, Michigan and grew up on the west side of the Saginaw River. His father, Otto, was a German immigrant, a market-gardener who owned a large local 25 acre greenhouse, along with his brother (Theodore's uncle). Much of Theodore's childhood was spent in this greenhouse, as reflected by the use of natural images in his poetry. In early 1923 when Roethke was 14 years old, his uncle committed suicide and his father died of cancer. Roethke noted that these events affected him deeply and influenced his work.
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