Post by sheafi116 on May 31, 2013 22:27:34 GMT -5
David Wojahn has become most recognized for his poetry’s consistent use of two polarized subject matters—on one hand, much of his work addresses significant events in politics and pop culture, such as John Lennon’s assassination, “George W. Bush in Hell,” and Joseph Stalin’s literary preferences. The other end of his writing spectrum revolves around the “emotive basics,” according to Richard Hugo, who rewarded Wojahn with the Yale Series of Younger Poets prize in 1982: ordinary, relatable facts of life such as leaving home, watching loved ones age and die, and the realization and acceptance of mortality. Thus, at its most basic level Wojahn’s work can be divided into the highly impersonal, yet well-known events of life (those that make newspaper headlines and magazine covers), and the most personal, ordinary moments that are inevitable in every human’s life..the public versus the private. And yet, Wojahn’s precocious use of stories, anecdotes, and powerful insight make his entire range of work equally intimate, regardless of the subject matter.
Many details from Wojahn’s childhood remain private, yet it is known that his early days growing up in Minnesota were filled with imagination, mentally ill relatives, comic-book heroes, and death. Much of Wojahn’s poetry is seemingly autobiographical, based on the repetition of certain names and details of relationships, and the alcoholism of his mother appears to be a dominating or underlying theme in many poems. Her words resonate with the reader, as an aching, haunting sympathy for young Wojahn builds: “David, fill the glass for me, I’ve got such a thirst.” His provocative, and often frank approaches to rather heavy subject matters including alcoholism, hospitalization, “children never born,” rehab, and silent heroes often portray the world as nearly ruined, but with a glimmer of tenderness: a world in which love and lament are never separated. It is not a light read, but chillingly evocative and insightful.
Wojahn’s eclectic range from the political to the personal have earned him the reputation of creating a body of work that “[builds] a dense and bracingly idiosyncratic linguistic fabric.” His versatility earned him a place as one of the two finalists for a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 with his collection of new and selected poems, Interrogation Palace. Wojahn has held a respected presence in the literary world since the 1980’s, and his esteem only continues to grow.
Throughout his career, Wojahn has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Illinois and Indiana Councils for the Arts. He has also been a professor at Indiana University, the University of Chicago, the University of Houston, the University of Alabama, and the University of New Orleans. Presently, he is an English professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Word Count: 458
Many details from Wojahn’s childhood remain private, yet it is known that his early days growing up in Minnesota were filled with imagination, mentally ill relatives, comic-book heroes, and death. Much of Wojahn’s poetry is seemingly autobiographical, based on the repetition of certain names and details of relationships, and the alcoholism of his mother appears to be a dominating or underlying theme in many poems. Her words resonate with the reader, as an aching, haunting sympathy for young Wojahn builds: “David, fill the glass for me, I’ve got such a thirst.” His provocative, and often frank approaches to rather heavy subject matters including alcoholism, hospitalization, “children never born,” rehab, and silent heroes often portray the world as nearly ruined, but with a glimmer of tenderness: a world in which love and lament are never separated. It is not a light read, but chillingly evocative and insightful.
Wojahn’s eclectic range from the political to the personal have earned him the reputation of creating a body of work that “[builds] a dense and bracingly idiosyncratic linguistic fabric.” His versatility earned him a place as one of the two finalists for a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 with his collection of new and selected poems, Interrogation Palace. Wojahn has held a respected presence in the literary world since the 1980’s, and his esteem only continues to grow.
Throughout his career, Wojahn has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Illinois and Indiana Councils for the Arts. He has also been a professor at Indiana University, the University of Chicago, the University of Houston, the University of Alabama, and the University of New Orleans. Presently, he is an English professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Word Count: 458