Strand, Mark (1934-2014), was an American poet known for works that explore such themes as personal identity, absence, and the importance of poetry in illuminating the meaning of life. Strand served as poet laureate of the United States from 1990 to 1991. He won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for poetry for Blizzard of One (1998). Strand was also a respected translator and editor.
Strand’s poetry is noted for its precise language and surrealistic images. Strand translated the poems of several modern Latin American writers. The nonrealistic style of some of these poets influenced Strand’s style.
Strand’s early poetry is brooding and introspective, often including imagery of death and darkness and presenting a dreamlike picture. These themes appeared in Sleeping with One Eye Open (1964), Reasons for Moving (1968), and Darker (1970). Strand’s later poetry assumes a more autobiographical character. Collections of this poetry include The Story of Our Lives (1973) and The Late Hour (1978). The Continuous Life (1999) includes short prose narratives. Dark Harbor (1993) is a single long poem divided into 45 parts. A selection of his poems from the 1964 collection through the early 2000’s was published as New Selected Poems (2007). A later collection, Almost Invisible, was published in 2012. Strand’s Collected Poems was published in 2014.
Strand wrote children’s books and art criticism and edited several anthologies of poetry. A collection of his short stories was published as Mr. and Mrs. Baby and Other Stories (1985).
Strand was born on April 11, 1934, in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, in Canada. As a child, he settled in the United States with his family in 1938. He received degrees from Antioch College (B.A., 1957), Yale University (B.F.A., 1959), and the University of Iowa (M.A., 1962). Strand died on Nov. 29, 2014.
