Shapiro, << shuh PEER oh, >> Karl Jay (1913-2000), was an American poet. In Person, Place and Thing (1942), he defended the blessings of individuality (person) against conformity; the searching examination of society (place) in contrast to uncritical allegiance; and the richness of the created thing as opposed to destruction.
Shapiro won the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for poetry with V-Letter and Other Poems. His essays often express rebellion against rules for making or judging art. His Essay on Rime (1945) and The Bourgeois Poet (1964) denounce the style of life and poetry, including his own, that lies within the safety of middle-class attitudes and formal verse. His poetry appeared in New and Selected Poems, 1940-1986 (1987). He also wrote a novel, Edsel (1971). Shapiro was born on Nov. 10, 1913, in Baltimore. He was the editor of the periodicals Poetry from 1950 to 1955 and Prairie Schooner from 1956 to 1966. He died on May 14, 2000.
