Post by hannahmo116 on May 31, 2013 16:58:25 GMT -5
Stephen Dunn’s story is one of humble beginnings that led to greatness. He grew up in New York and was the first member of his family to go to college; he first attended Hofstra University and recieved a B.A. in History, before working in advertising for a period, with no indication of an interest in the literary arts. After an existential crisis, which he describes as “danger, literally, or becoming like the men who were around me”, he fled to Spain for a year and was inspired to contribute to the world of poetry. He attended The New School and then went on to recieve an M.A. in Creative Writing from Syracuse University, after which his writing career truly began.
His career has ultimately culminated in seventeen volumes of poetry, one of which, Different Hours, recieved the Pulitzer Prize. This is no surprise, his poems are insightful and speak to humanity on an unbelievably sophisticated level. He writes often of small town life, and attaches meaning to common objects or ideas, such as a football game or a shopping mall, the things that are prevalent in small town America. He makes many statements about the simplicity of life, but does so in alarmingly subtle ways, which contribute to the overall effect. This speaks to what he strongly believes about poetry, which is that “the good poem may be political, but it is more interested in enacting or understanding the dynamics of any human situation than it is in affecting change”. While many poets use their work as a medium with which to criticize or enact change in society, Stephen Dunn sees his work as a way of exposing simply what he sees, whether it is positive or negative.
What is prevalent across his body of work is the idea of surviving in this common and sometimes mundane world, while facing the ever-present factor of age and death. As was stated before, Dunn does not criticize the way in which our society views mortality, he just explores the way that it plays a role in our day-to-day interactions. His comments on winning the Pulitzer prize for Different Hours were “[Different Hours] has taken on aging and mortality in a way that my other books have not”. He remarks that his fascination with this subject may have come from his parents dying at a young age, which gave him a sense of not having enough time left in his life. In any case, his statements on such a powerful subject come across in his subtleties and his use of words that appeal to the everyman - a common hero in his line of work. The unusual formatting that he often uses must be noted as well; he is known for sorting his poems into even stanzas that are often cut apart mid-sentence, if only for the sake of structure.
While many poets will speak to the social issues that plague the American middle-class, so few do so with the eloquence and subtlety that Stephen Dunn exhibits. He has exhibited a superior understanding of the American psyche, and one can only hope that the poets of the future will follow in his stead.
His career has ultimately culminated in seventeen volumes of poetry, one of which, Different Hours, recieved the Pulitzer Prize. This is no surprise, his poems are insightful and speak to humanity on an unbelievably sophisticated level. He writes often of small town life, and attaches meaning to common objects or ideas, such as a football game or a shopping mall, the things that are prevalent in small town America. He makes many statements about the simplicity of life, but does so in alarmingly subtle ways, which contribute to the overall effect. This speaks to what he strongly believes about poetry, which is that “the good poem may be political, but it is more interested in enacting or understanding the dynamics of any human situation than it is in affecting change”. While many poets use their work as a medium with which to criticize or enact change in society, Stephen Dunn sees his work as a way of exposing simply what he sees, whether it is positive or negative.
What is prevalent across his body of work is the idea of surviving in this common and sometimes mundane world, while facing the ever-present factor of age and death. As was stated before, Dunn does not criticize the way in which our society views mortality, he just explores the way that it plays a role in our day-to-day interactions. His comments on winning the Pulitzer prize for Different Hours were “[Different Hours] has taken on aging and mortality in a way that my other books have not”. He remarks that his fascination with this subject may have come from his parents dying at a young age, which gave him a sense of not having enough time left in his life. In any case, his statements on such a powerful subject come across in his subtleties and his use of words that appeal to the everyman - a common hero in his line of work. The unusual formatting that he often uses must be noted as well; he is known for sorting his poems into even stanzas that are often cut apart mid-sentence, if only for the sake of structure.
While many poets will speak to the social issues that plague the American middle-class, so few do so with the eloquence and subtlety that Stephen Dunn exhibits. He has exhibited a superior understanding of the American psyche, and one can only hope that the poets of the future will follow in his stead.