Lowell, Robert (1917-1977), was a leading American poet. Lowell often is considered a “confessional” poet because he used material from his private life to generate an image of modern culture. His poetry dramatizes the pain and tenderness of personal relationships, and his belief that society has been distorted by its overemphasis on worldly things. Lowell received the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for poetry for Lord Weary’s Castle (1946) and the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for poetry for The Dolphin (1973).
Lowell’s early poems dealt with the failures and strengths of religious and historical tradition. They were brilliant, complex, and very formal. The Mills of the Kavanaughs (1951) gave more personal expression to his themes by using the dramatic monologue. He adopted an offhand and autobiographical style in such works as Life Studies (1959), For the Union Dead (1964), and Day by Day (1977). The collection History (1973) contains the poet’s reflections on world events. Lowell was also an award-winning translator and wrote three plays about early United States history. These plays were published under the title The Old Glory (1965). Lowell’s Collected Prose (1987) and Collected Poems (2003) were both published after his death. Memoirs (2022) is a collection of autobiographical prose writings by Lowell.
Robert Traill Spence Lowell, Jr., was born on March 1, 1917, in Boston. He was a conscientious objector during World War II and was active in antiwar movements during the 1960’s. He died on Sept. 12, 1977.
