[1908-1963] Educated at the University of Michigan and Harvard University, he later taught at several institutions, notably the University of Washington. From 1935 on, his career was interrupted by hospitalizations for breakdowns and manic depression. Among his many awards, The Waking (1953) won him the Pulitzer. His works, which include a collection of children's poems, are known for containing short, highly controlled poems that exhibit his introspection and intense lyricism. His essays and lectures are collected in On the Poet and His Craft (1965). I learned not to fear infinity, The far field, the windy cliffs of forever, The dying of time in the white light of tomorrow, The wheel turning away from itself, The sprawl of the wave, The on-coming water. ~Theodore Roethke |