Paul Blackburn (poet) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Blackburn
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Paul Blackburn circa 1969-70
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| Born | November 24, 1926 St. Albans, Vermont |
| Died | September 13, 1971 (aged 44) Cortland, New York |
| Occupation | Poet, translator, teacher, editor |
| Nationality | U.S. |
Paul Blackburn (November 24, 1926 – September 13, 1971) was an American poet. He made a big impact on writing during his time. He did this through his own poetry, by translating other people's works, and by helping other poets.
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About Paul Blackburn
Paul Blackburn was born in St. Albans, Vermont. When he was very young, his parents separated. He mostly lived with his grandparents on their farm. When he was 14, he moved to Greenwich Village in New York City with his mother. His mother, Frances Frost, was also a writer. She encouraged him to start writing poetry when he was a teenager.
College and Early Influences
In 1945, Paul started at New York University. He then joined the army, hoping to go overseas. But the war ended soon after. He spent his army time as a lab helper in Colorado. In 1947, he went back to NYU. He later moved to the University of Wisconsin and finished college in 1950.
During his college years, Paul became interested in the poet Ezra Pound. He even wrote letters to Pound. Through Pound, he met other important poets like Robert Creeley. This led him to connect with many other writers. Sometimes, Paul was linked to a group called the Black Mountain poets. But he believed that all types of poetry were valuable. He didn't like poets being put into separate groups.
A Love for Languages
Ezra Pound also encouraged Paul to study Provençal poetry. This is a very old language from a region in France. Paul studied it while at the University of Wisconsin. He even received a special scholarship called a Fulbright Fellowship. This allowed him to go to France to study Provençal language and literature. He kept translating Provençal poetry throughout his life. His full work on these translations was published after he passed away.
Paul was also well known for translating works from Spanish. He translated a famous medieval story called Poema del Mio Cid. He also translated poems by Federico García Lorca, Octavio Paz, and Pablo Picasso. He even translated short stories by Julio Cortázar. For a while, Paul was Cortázar's helper in the United States.
Helping Other Poets
Paul played a very important role in the poetry world, especially in New York City. He helped many new poets get started. He offered support and helped writers find places to read their poems. He organized many poetry readings. These readings featured different groups of poets, like the Beats and the New York School.
Another poet, Clayton Eshleman, said that many poets today owe a lot to Paul. He gave them kindness, advice, and a sense of friendship. The readings Paul organized helped start the St. Mark's Poetry Project, which is still a famous place for poetry today. Paul also recorded many of the readings he organized and attended. These recordings are a great way to learn about the New York poetry scene from the late 1950s to 1970.
Career and Later Life
Until the mid-1960s, Paul worked in different jobs. He worked in print shops, as an editor, and as a translator. He was even a poetry editor for a short time at The Nation magazine. He also wrote reviews for different publications. In the mid-1960s, he had a radio show on WBAI. On his show, he interviewed poets and played recordings of them reading their work.
Later, he started getting offers to teach. He led writing workshops at the Aspen Writers' Conference. He was also a Poet-In-Residence at City College of New York. In 1967, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship. This allowed him to go back to Europe to work on his translations and poems. When he returned to the U.S., he supported himself by giving poetry readings and teaching. He taught at the New School and the State University of New York at Cortland.
Paul Blackburn was married three times. He had a son named Carlos T. in 1969.
Paul Blackburn passed away in Cortland, New York, in September 1971. He was 44 years old.
During his life, Paul Blackburn published 13 books of his own poetry. He also published five major translation works. Twelve more of his books were published after he died.
Translated Works
Here are some of the important works Paul Blackburn translated:
- Proensa (1953)
- Poem of the Cid (1966, reprinted 1998 ISBN: 0-8061-3022-9)
- End of the Game and Other Stories by Julio Cortázar (1967) (ISBN: 0060906375)
- Hunk of Skin by Pablo Picasso (1968)
- Cronopios and Famas by Julio Cortázar (1969; 1999) (ISBN: 0811214028)
- The Collected Poems of Octavio Paz 1957-1987 (he was a contributor) (1991) (ISBN: 9780811211734)
Books Published After His Death
These are some of Paul Blackburn's books that were published after he passed away:
- Early Selected Y Mas: Poems 1949-1966 (1972) (ISBN: 0876851200)
- Peire Vidal (1972) (ISBN: 0913142018)
- Halfway Down the Coast (1975) (ISBN: 0913142093)
- The Journals (1977)(ISBN: 0876852398)
- By Ear (1978)
- Proensa: An Anthology of Troubadour Poetry (1978) (ISBN: 0520029852)
- Lorca/Blackburn: Poems of Federico García Lorca Chosen by Paul Blackburn (1979, Momo's Press; reprinted 2000, Stop Press)
- Against the Silences (1980) (ISBN: 0905258061)
- The Selection of Heaven (1980)
- The Collected Poems of Paul Blackburn (1985) (ISBN: 0892550864)
- The Parallel Voyages (1987) (ISBN: 0933313020)
- The Selected Poems (1989) (ISBN: 0892551232)
