Barbara Guest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barbara Guest
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Guest during the video taping of "Add-Verse", 2003
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| Born | 6 September 1920 Wilmington, North Carolina, United States |
| Died | 15 February 2006 (aged 85) Berkeley, California, United States |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Genre | Poetry, prose |
| Literary movement | New York School |
| Notable works | "Herself Defined", "Fair Realism", "Forces of Imagination" |
| Notable awards | Robert Frost Medal (1999) |
Barbara Guest, born Barbara Ann Pinson (September 6, 1920 – February 15, 2006), was an American poet and writer. She was known for her unique style of poetry.
Barbara was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, and grew up in California. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and later earned a degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1943. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked at ARTnews magazine from 1951 to 1959.
Guest was part of the first group of poets known as the New York School. She wrote more than 15 books of poetry over sixty years. In 1999, she received the Frost Medal for her lifetime achievements in poetry from the Poetry Society of America. Besides poetry, Barbara Guest also wrote about art, essays, and plays. She even created collages that appeared on the covers of some of her poetry books. She was also well known for writing a book about the poet H.D. called Herself Defined: The Poet H.D. and Her World (1984).
Her Poetry
Barbara Guest wrote many books of poetry throughout her life. Her poems often start in the middle of an event, but they look at things from a different, unusual angle. Her poems are known for being a bit abstract, meaning they don't always explain things directly. Instead, they use vivid language and ideas to make you think.
She believed that the main idea of a poem shows itself as the poet writes it, using their imagination. One writer noted that Guest often changed the usual way subjects and objects, or reality and imagination, connect in her poems. This was one of her special ways of writing.
Some of her famous poems include:
- "Parachutes, My Love, Could Carry Us Higher" (you can listen to it!)
- "Wild Gardens Overlooked by Night Lights" (also available to listen)
- "Roses"
- "Photographs"
See also
In Spanish: Barbara Guest para niños
