John Ciardi

John Ciardi
Born(1916-06-24)June 24, 1916
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMarch 30, 1986(1986-03-30) (aged 69)
Metuchen, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation
  • Poet
  • teacher
  • etymologist
  • translator
Alma materBates College
Tufts University (transferred)
University of Michigan
GenrePoet, etymologist
Notable worksLa Divina Commedia translation
Notable awardsHopwood Award
SpouseJudith Hostetter[1]
ChildrenThree[2]

John Anthony Ciardi (/ˈtʃɑːrdi/ CHAR-dee; Italian: [ˈtʃardi]; June 24, 1916 – March 30, 1986) was an American poet, translator, and etymologist. While primarily known as a poet and translator of Dante's Divine Comedy, he also wrote several volumes of children's poetry, pursued etymology, contributed to the Saturday Review as a columnist and long-time poetry editor, directed the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in Vermont, and recorded commentaries for National Public Radio.

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.[3]

  1. ^ "POET JOHN CIARDI, ACCLAIMED FOR TRANSLATION OF 'INFERNO,' DIES". Los Angeles Times. Part 1; Page 15; Column 1; Metro Desk. April 1, 1986.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTimes1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference hunter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).