MacLeish, << mak LEESH or muh KLEESH, >> Archibald (1892-1982), was an American poet, dramatist, and critic. He also served as librarian of Congress from 1939 to 1944 and assistant secretary of state in 1944 and 1945.
MacLeish’s early work is lyrical and thoughtful, using free verse and other technical methods of such older poets as Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot. Conquistador (1932) is a strong, individual achievement, describing in epic terms the Spanish exploration of the New World. The work gained MacLeish the first of his three Pulitzer Prizes. With social unrest in America and the rise of fascism abroad, MacLeish turned to more direct expression of the issues of his day. He particularly explored these issues in Public Speech (1936) and his two radio dramas, The Fall of the City (1937) and Air Raid (1938).
MacLeish’s later work became less topical and more philosophic in tone. His verse drama J.B. raises the eternal problem of humanity’s suffering, treating the Biblical story of Job in terms of modern American life. The play won the 1959 Pulitzer Prize for drama. His Collected Poems, 1917-1952 won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize.
MacLeish’s most mature reflections on the value of poetry as a means of knowledge are developed in Poetry and Experience (1961). He concludes, “To face the truth of the passing away of the world, and make song of it, make beauty of it, is not to solve the riddle of our mortal lives but perhaps to accomplish something more.”
MacLeish was born on May 7, 1892, in Glencoe, Illinois. He received a law degree from Harvard, where he graduated first in his class. He practiced law from 1920 to 1923, when he decided to devote himself to literature. MacLeish lived in Europe from 1923 to 1928. He was professor of rhetoric and oratory at Harvard from 1949 to 1962. He died on April 20, 1982.
