Franz Wright facts for kids

Franz Wright (born March 18, 1953 – died May 14, 2015) was an American poet. He and his father, James Wright, are the only father and son pair to have both won the famous Pulitzer Prize in the same category for their poetry.

Life and Career

Franz Wright was born in Vienna, Austria. He later graduated from Oberlin College in 1977.

Wright wrote many books of poetry. His book Wheeling Motel (published in 2009) had some of its poems turned into music for a record called Readings from Wheeling Motel. He also wrote and performed the lyrics for a song called "Encounter at 3AM" by the band Clem Snide.

In 2011, he released Kindertotenwald, a collection of sixty-five prose poems. These are like short stories written with poetic language. The book ended with a love poem to his wife. This poem won a top award from Poetry magazine.

In 2012, he published Buson: Haiku, which was a collection of 30 haiku poems he translated from the Japanese poet Yosa Buson.

Later Works and Recognition

In 2013, Wright's publisher, Knopf, released another collection of his poems called F. He started writing this book while recovering in a hospital after surgery for lung cancer. Many people thought F was one of his best works. A writer for the Huffington Post even called him "our greatest contemporary poet."

Also in 2013, Wright recorded 15 prose poems from Kindertotenwald. These recordings were used in special music concerts in Europe.

Before he passed away, Wright finished his last book, "Axe in Blossom," which was published later. His poems have also been included in many important poetry collections, like The Best of the Best American Poetry.

Death

Franz Wright passed away from lung cancer at his home in Waltham, Massachusetts, on May 14, 2015.

About His Poetry

Many critics and writers admired Franz Wright's poetry. Helen Vendler, writing for the New York Review of Books, said his poems showed a wide range of feelings, from deep pain to great joy. She noted his poems were original because of their clever patterns, surprising comparisons, clear language, and how they packed a lot of feeling into a few words.

Novelist Denis Johnson described Wright's poems as "tiny jewels shaped by blunt, ruined fingers—miraculous gifts." The Boston Review said his poetry was "among the most honest, haunting, and human being written today."

His book Walking to Martha's Vineyard (published in 2003) was especially well-liked. Publishers Weekly said the poems were "heartfelt" and moving. The New York Times mentioned that Wright could deliver "great depths of feeling" in his work.

Positive Reception of Kindertotenwald

His 2011 collection, Kindertotenwald, also received a lot of praise. Grace Cavalieri from the Washington Independent Book Review said the book showed how poetry could be a "mental process" and was full of "original material." She felt the book had a "joyfulness" that made the writing feel powerful and full of life.

Julia Keller, a critic for the Chicago Tribune, said that Kindertotenwald was "ultimately about joy and grace and the possibility of redemption." She noted that Wright's poems mixed everyday language with surprising, beautiful phrases. She described reading the book as an emotional experience, saying it felt like "your own heart breaking" but also showed that "healing... is possible."

Awards

• 1985, 1992 National Endowment for the Arts grant
• 1989 Guggenheim Fellowship
• 1991 Whiting Award
• 1996 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry
• 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, for Walking to Martha's Vineyard

Selected Works

• The Toy Throne, Tungsten Press (2015)
• The Writing, Argos Books, 2015, ISBN: 978-1-938247-09-5
• The Raising of Lazarus, Tungsten Press (2014)
• F, Knopf, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-307-70158-9
• Kindertotenwald Alfred A. Knopf, 2011, ISBN: 978-0-307-27280-5
• "7 Prose", Marick Press, 2010, ISBN: 978-1934851-17-3
• Wheeling Motel Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, ISBN: 9780307265685
• Earlier Poems, Random House, Inc., 2007, ISBN: 978-0-307-26566-1
• God's Silence, Knopf, 2006, ISBN: 978-1-4000-4351-4
• Walking to Martha's Vineyard Alfred A. Knopf, 2003, ISBN: 978-0-375-41518-0
• The Beforelife A.A. Knopf, 2001, ISBN: 978-0-375-41154-0
• Knell Short Line Editions, 1999
• ILL LIT: Selected & New Poems Oberlin College Press, 1998, ISBN: 978-0-932440-83-9
• Rorschach test, Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1995, ISBN: 978-0-88748-209-0
• The Night World and the Word Night Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1993, ISBN: 978-0-88748-154-3
• Entry in an Unknown Hand Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1989, ISBN: 978-0-88748-078-2
• Going North in Winter Gray House Press, 1986
• The One Whose Eyes Open When You Close Your Eyes Pym-Randall Press, 1982, ISBN: 978-0-913219-35-5
• 8 Poems (1982)
• The Earth Without You Cleveland State University Poetry Center, 1980, ISBN: 9780914946236
• Tapping the White Cane of Solitude (1976)

Translations

• The Unknown Rilke: Selected Poems, Rainer Maria Rilke, Translator Franz Wright, Oberlin College Press, 1990, ISBN: 978-0-932440-56-3
• Valzhyna Mort: Factory of Tears (Copper Canyon Press, 2008) (translated from the Belarusian language in collaboration with the author and Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright)
• "The Unknown Rilke: Expanded Edition" (1991)
• "No Siege is Absolute: Versions of Rene Char" (1984)
• "Buson: Haiku (2012)
• The Life of Mary (poems of R.M. Rilke) (1981)