John Ciardi (1916–1986)
Author of How Does a Poem Mean?
About the Author
John Anthony Ciardi was born on June 24, 1916 in Boston. He was an American poet, translator, and etymologist. He 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 show more 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. He attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and Tufts University in Boston where he studied under the poet John Holmes. He received his degree in 1938, and won a scholarship to the University of Michigan, where he obtained his master's degree the next year and won the first of many awards for his poetry,e.g., the prestigious Hopwood Award. Ciardi taught at the University of Kansas City before joining the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942. He was discharged in October 1945 with the rank of Technical Sergeant. After the war, Mr. Ciardi returned briefly to Kansas State, before being named instructor in 1946, and later assistant professor, in the Briggs Copeland chair at Harvard University, where he stayed until 1953. Ciardi had published his first book of poems, Homeward to America, in 1940, before the war, and his next book, Other Skies, focusing on his wartime experiences, was published in 1947. He had begun translating Dante for his classes at Harvard and continued with the work throughout his time there. His translation of The Inferno was published in 1954. Ciardi's translation of The Purgatorio followed in 1961 and The Paradiso in 1970. John Ciardi died on Easter Sunday in 1986 of a heart attack. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
If an author "name" includes an author and translator, please combine it with the author, not the translator. Thus "Dante, translated by Ciardi" should be combined with Dante Alighieri, not with John Ciardi. And, of course, it's better still to list them separately as author and translator, instead of together as if they were a single entity.
John Ciardi wrote a science fiction story, The Hypnoglyph, as James Anthony. It appeared in an anthology named Science Fiction Stories.
Works by John Ciardi
Good Words to You: An All-New Dictionary and Native's Guide to the Unknown American Language (1987) 73 copies
In fact; [poems] 6 copies
Homeward to America 5 copies
The achievement of John Ciardi; a comprehensive selection of his poems with a critical introduction (1969) 4 copies
Michael Delacroix 2 copies
The Glass Canoe 1 copy
The Poor Boy Was Wrong 1 copy
dante: the inferno LP 1 copy
The River is a Piece of Sky 1 copy
How Does a Poem Read? 1 copy
The Hypnoglyph 1 copy
Associated Works
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1995) — Contributor, some editions — 925 copies
Aspects of Alice: Lewis Carroll's Dream Child as Seen Through the Critics' Looking-glasses, 1865-1971 (1971) — Contributor — 117 copies
Published and Perished: Memoria, Eulogies, and Remembrances of American Writers (2002) — Contributor — 37 copies
Words Among America: Sixty Poems of Challenge and Hope — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Ciardi, John Anthony
- Other names
- Anthony, John (pseudonym)
- Birthdate
- 1916-06-24
- Date of death
- 1986-03-30
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Place of death
- Edison, New Jersey, USA
- Cause of death
- heart attack
- Places of residence
- Metuchen, New Jersey, USA
- Education
- Bates College
Tufts University (BA ā 1938)
University of Michigan (MA ā 1939) - Occupations
- poet
critic
translator
etymologist
university professor - Organizations
- American Academy of Arts and Letters ( [1957])
US Army Air Corps (1942)
Bread Loaf School of English
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
National Institute of Arts and Letters
Harvard University (show all 7)
Rutgers University - Awards and honors
- Air Medal (and Oak Leaf Cluster WWII)
Fellow of the American Academy in Rome (1957)
Prix de Rome (1956)
Harriet Monroe Memorial Prize (1955) - Disambiguation notice
- If an author "name" includes an author and translator, please combine it with the author, not the translator. Thus "Dante, translated by Ciardi" should be combined with Dante Alighieri, not with John Ciardi. And, of course, it's better still to list them separately as author and translator, instead of together as if they were a single entity.
John Ciardi wrote a science fiction story, The Hypnoglyph, as James Anthony. It appeared in an anthology named Science Fiction Stories.
Members
Reviews
How to Tell the Top of a Hill by John Ciardi
For this poem I realized the poetic elements were alliteration, assonance, and hyperbole. I think the meaning of the poem is about Ciardi's personal feelings to having to become successful and remind himself to not give up.
At once an introduction to the art of poetry and a selection of poetry both fine and interesting. The authors attempt to penetrate the mystery that surrounds poetry with some success. One may not agree with all of their opinions but the experience of engaging with poetry under their direction yields benefits that lead to more enjoyment of poetry going forward.
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Statistics
- Works
- 71
- Also by
- 28
- Members
- 1,985
- Popularity
- #12,952
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 28
- ISBNs
- 91
- Favorited
- 4