Donald Justice facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donald Justice
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| Born | August 12, 1925 Miami, Florida, U.S.
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| Died | August 6, 2004 (aged 78) Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.
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| Education | University of Miami (BA) University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (MA) Stanford University University of Iowa (PhD) |
| Awards | Guggenheim Fellowship Pulitzer Prize |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Poetry |
| Institutions | University of Florida Syracuse University |
Donald Rodney Justice (born August 12, 1925 – died August 6, 2004) was an American poet. He was also a writing teacher. Donald Justice won the famous Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1980.
A journalist named David Orr once said that Justice's poems were often "great." He compared them to the works of other famous poets. This shows how important his poetry was.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Donald Justice was born in Miami, Florida. This happened on August 12, 1925. He went to the University of Miami. There, he earned his first degree in 1945.
He continued his studies. He got a master's degree from the University of North Carolina in 1947. Later, he studied at Stanford University. He earned his highest degree, a doctorate, from the University of Iowa in 1954.
His Career as a Writer and Teacher
After finishing his studies, Justice became a teacher. He taught for many years. One of his main places was the Iowa Writers' Workshop. This was at the University of Iowa. It was the first program in the country for creative writing.
He also taught at other universities. These included Syracuse University and Princeton University. He also taught at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Donald Justice wrote and published many poetry books. He released thirteen collections of his poems. His first book, The Summer Anniversaries, won an award. It received the Lamont Poetry Prize in 1961. This award came from the Academy of American Poets.
His book Selected Poems won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1980. This is a very important award. He also won the Bollingen Prize in Poetry in 1991. In 1996, he received the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry.
Justice earned many other honors. He received grants from important groups. These included the Guggenheim Foundation. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. From 1997 to 2003, he was a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. His book Collected Poems was nominated for the National Book Award in 2004. He was a finalist for this award three times.
His Final Years
Donald Justice passed away on August 6, 2004. He was 78 years old. He died in a nursing home in Iowa City, Iowa. He had a stroke a few weeks before. His family said he died from pneumonia. He also had Parkinson's disease.
His Lasting Impact
Donald Justice was known as an amazing teacher. He taught many students who became famous writers. Some of his students included Rita Dove and John Irving. His students said he always supported their poems. He wanted them to be the best they could be.
A former student, Tad Richards, said Justice will be remembered. He helped people understand feelings of loss. He also set a high standard for writing poems. He focused on careful work and rhythm.
His work was explored in a book from 1998. It was called Certain Solitudes: On The Poetry of Donald Justice. This book was a collection of essays about his poems.
His Published Works
Poetry Books
- The Old Bachelor and Other Poems (1951)
- The Summer Anniversaries (1960)
- A Local Storm (1963)
- Night Light (1967)
- Sixteen Poems (1970)
- From a Notebook (1971)
- Departures (1973)
- Selected Poems (1979)
- Tremayne (1984)
- The Sunset Maker (1987)
- A Donald Justice Reader (1991)
- New and Selected Poems (1995)
- Orpheus Hesitated beside the Black River: Poems, 1952-1997 (1998)
- Collected Poems (2004)
Essays and Interviews
- Platonic Scripts (1984)
- Oblivion: On Writers and Writing (1998)
- Compendium: A Collection of Thoughts on Prosody (2017)
Edited Books
Justice helped publish poems by other writers. He edited works for four poets after they had passed away.
Operas and Plays
Donald Justice also wrote words for musical works. These are called libretti.
- The Young God - A Vaudeville (an opera by Edward Miller) (1969)
- The Death of Lincoln: an opera by Edwin London (1988)
See also
- Donald Justice Poetry Prize
