Anne Carson
Encyclopedia
Anne Carson is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator and professor of Classics. Carson lived in Montreal
for several years and taught at McGill University
, the University of Michigan
, and at Princeton University
from 1980-1987.
She was a 1998 Guggenheim Fellow. and in 2000 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
She has also won a Lannan Literary Award.
at the University of Toronto
, she left twice—at the end of her first and second years. Carson, disconcerted by curricular constraints (particularly by a required course on Milton
), retired to the world of graphic arts for a short time. She did eventually return to the University of Toronto where she completed her B.A. in 1974, her M.A. in 1975 and her Ph.D. in 1981.
A professor of the classics, with background in classical language
s, comparative literature, anthropology
, history, and commercial art, Carson blends ideas and themes from many fields in her writing. She frequently references, modernizes, and translates Greek mythology
. She has published fifteen books as of 2010, all of which blend the forms of poetry, essay, prose, criticism, translation, dramatic dialogue, fiction, and non-fiction.
Carson was an Anna-Maria Kellen Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin
, Germany, for Fall 2007. The Classic Stage Company, a New York–based theatre company, produced three of Carson's translations: Aeschylus
' Agamemnon; Sophocles
' Electra
; and Euripides
' Orestes
(as An Oresteia), in repertory, in the 2008/2009 season. She was Poet-in-Residence at New York University
. and was a judge for the 2010 Griffin Poetry Prize
.
She will also be partaking in the Bush Theatre
's project Sixty Six (October 2011) where she has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
for several years and taught at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, and at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
from 1980-1987.
She was a 1998 Guggenheim Fellow. and in 2000 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
She has also won a Lannan Literary Award.
Life and work
Though distinguished, Carson's academic training did not run a straight path. The fascination with classical literature which dominates her work began to take root in high school. There, a Latin instructor introduced her to the world and language of Ancient Greece and tutored the future poet privately. Enrolling at St. Michael's CollegeUniversity of St. Michael's College
The University of St. Michael's College is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1852 by the Congregation of St. Basil of Annonay, France. While mainly an undergraduate college for liberal arts and sciences, St. Michael's retains its Roman Catholic affiliation through its postgraduate...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, she left twice—at the end of her first and second years. Carson, disconcerted by curricular constraints (particularly by a required course on Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
), retired to the world of graphic arts for a short time. She did eventually return to the University of Toronto where she completed her B.A. in 1974, her M.A. in 1975 and her Ph.D. in 1981.
A professor of the classics, with background in classical language
Classical language
A classical language is a language with a literature that is classical. According to UC Berkeley linguist George L. Hart, it should be ancient, it should be an independent tradition that arose mostly on its own, not as an offshoot of another tradition, and it must have a large and extremely rich...
s, comparative literature, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, history, and commercial art, Carson blends ideas and themes from many fields in her writing. She frequently references, modernizes, and translates Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. She has published fifteen books as of 2010, all of which blend the forms of poetry, essay, prose, criticism, translation, dramatic dialogue, fiction, and non-fiction.
Carson was an Anna-Maria Kellen Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin
American Academy in Berlin
The American Academy in Berlin is a research and cultural institution in Berlin whose stated mission is to foster a greater understanding and dialogue between the people of the United States and the people of Germany.The American Academy was founded in September 1994 by a group of prominent...
, Germany, for Fall 2007. The Classic Stage Company, a New York–based theatre company, produced three of Carson's translations: Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
' Agamemnon; Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
' Electra
Electra (Sophocles)
Electra or Elektra is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Its date is not known, but various stylistic similarities with the Philoctetes and the Oedipus at Colonus lead scholars to suppose that it was written towards the end of Sophocles' career.Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan...
; and Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
' Orestes
Orestes (play)
Orestes is an Ancient Greek play by Euripides that follows the events of Orestes after he had murdered his mother.-Background:...
(as An Oresteia), in repertory, in the 2008/2009 season. She was Poet-in-Residence at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. and was a judge for the 2010 Griffin Poetry Prize
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
.
She will also be partaking in the Bush Theatre
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...
's project Sixty Six (October 2011) where she has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.
Selected works
- Odi et Amo Ergo Sum (1986) PhD Dissertation, University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
- Eros the Bittersweet (1986) Princeton University PressPrinceton University Press-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
- Glass, Irony, and God (1992) New Directions Publishing Company
- Short Talks (1992) Brick Books
- Plainwater (1995) Knopf
- Autobiography of RedAutobiography of RedAutobiography of Red is a verse novel by Anne Carson, based loosely on the myth of Geryon and the Tenth Labor of Herakles, especially on surviving fragments of the lyric poet Stesichorus' poem Geryoneis....
: A Novel in Verse (1998) Knopf - Economy of the Unlost: Reading Simonides of CeosSimonides of CeosSimonides of Ceos was a Greek lyric poet, born at Ioulis on Kea. The scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria included him in the canonical list of nine lyric poets, along with Bacchylides and Pindar...
with Paul CelanPaul CelanPaul Celan was a poet and translator...
(1999) Princeton University Press - Men in the Off Hours (2001) Knopf
- Electra (translation) (2001) Oxford
- The Beauty of the Husband (2001) Knopf
- If Not, Winter: Fragments of SapphoSapphoSappho was an Ancient Greek poet, born on the island of Lesbos. Later Greeks included her in the list of nine lyric poets. Her birth was sometime between 630 and 612 BC, and it is said that she died around 570 BC, but little is known for certain about her life...
(2002) Knopf - Wonderwater (Alice Offshore) (volume two, Answer Scars, a collaboration with Roni HornRoni HornRoni Horn is an American visual artist and writer. Horn's oeuvre, which spans almost four decades, encompasses sculpture, drawing, photography, language, and site-specific installation. The granddaughter of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, she was born in New York and lives and works in New York...
) (2004) Steidl - Decreation: Poetry, Essays, Opera (2005) Knopf
- Grief Lessons: Four Plays by EuripidesEuripidesEuripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
(translation) (2006) New York Review Books Classics - An Oresteia (Translation of Agamemnon, ElektraElectra (Sophocles)Electra or Elektra is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Its date is not known, but various stylistic similarities with the Philoctetes and the Oedipus at Colonus lead scholars to suppose that it was written towards the end of Sophocles' career.Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan...
, OrestesOrestes (play)Orestes is an Ancient Greek play by Euripides that follows the events of Orestes after he had murdered his mother.-Background:...
. (2009) Faber and Faber - NOX (2010) New Directions, incorporating Catullus 101Catullus 101Catullus 101 is an elegiac poem written by the Roman poet Gaius Valerius Catullus. It is addressed to Catullus' dead brother or, strictly speaking, to the "mute ashes" which are the only remaining evidence of his brother's body....
of CatullusCatullusGaius Valerius Catullus was a Latin poet of the Republican period. His surviving works are still read widely, and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art.-Biography:...
Selected awards and honors
- Lannan Literary Award (1996)
- Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
(1997) - Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
(1998) - MacArthur Fellowship (2000)
- Griffin Poetry PrizeGriffin Poetry PrizeThe Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
(2001) for Men in the Off Hours - T. S. Eliot PrizeT. S. Eliot PrizeThe T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is awarded by the Poetry Book Society to "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland" in any particular year. The Prize was inaugurated in 1993 in celebration of the Poetry Book Society's 40th birthday and in...
(2001) for The Beauty of the Husband
External links
- Poems by Anne Carson at PoetryFoundation.org
- Griffin Poetry Prize biography
- Anne Carson's entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Griffin Poetry Prize reading, including video clip
- Hermetic Hotties/What is Anne Carson doing on The L Word? by Meghan O'Rourke, Slate
- Criticism of Carson's poetry in "Subduing the reader" by Laurie Smith in Magma, No. 23, Summer 2002
- Anne Carson Biography by Ian Rae.
- Classic Carson by Val Ross in U of T Magazine, Spring 2001.
- Anne Carson interview on KCRW's "Bookworm," August 7, 1997, discussing the roots of her writing, particularly in "Plainwater" and "Glass, Irony and God"
- - Video of Anne Carson's reading at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood, CA, 02/25/08
- "Anne Carson, with Brighde Mullins", Lannan Readings & Conversations, March 21, 2001