Ben Belitt
Encyclopedia
Ben Belitt was an American poet
and translator
. Besides writing poetry
, he also translated several books of poetry by Pablo Neruda
and Federico García Lorca
from Spanish
to English
.
in Bennington, Vermont, where he remained for the rest of his life. A bachelor, he became a good friend of the dancer (and fellow teacher at Bennington) Bill Bales, of his wife, the actress Jo Van Fleet
, and of their son, Michael Bales, and regularly spent the important holidays of the year with this family at Bennington or in New York City.
Press. He wrote two books of essays and over thirteen books of translations. He taught for many decades at Bennington College
. After retiring from Bennington College, he continued to live in North Bennington
and held the position of Professor Emeritus of Language and Literature at the college. He died in Bennington on August 17, 2003, at the age of 92 and was buried in Manchester
, Vermont.
His papers are held by the University of Virginia
.http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/uva-sc/viu01986.frame
, was titled after a poem by Belitt. Errand into the Maze, also by Graham, takes its title from a Belitt poem as well.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
. Besides writing poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, he also translated several books of poetry by Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
and Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
from Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Life
Sam Belitt was born in New York City. He was educated at the University of Virginia, receiving a B.A. in 1932 and an M.A. in 1934, and he was a doctoral student at that university from 1934 to 1936. By the early 1940s he had taken up an appointment at Bennington CollegeBennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
in Bennington, Vermont, where he remained for the rest of his life. A bachelor, he became a good friend of the dancer (and fellow teacher at Bennington) Bill Bales, of his wife, the actress Jo Van Fleet
Jo Van Fleet
Jo Van Fleet was an American theatre and film actress.-Career:Van Fleet established herself as a notable dramatic actress on Broadway over several years, winning a Tony Award in 1954 for her skill in a difficult role, playing an unsympathetic, even abusive character, in Horton Foote's The Trip to...
, and of their son, Michael Bales, and regularly spent the important holidays of the year with this family at Bennington or in New York City.
Career
Belitt was the author of eight books of poems; his complete poems, This Scribe, My Hand, was published in 1998 by Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
Press. He wrote two books of essays and over thirteen books of translations. He taught for many decades at Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
. After retiring from Bennington College, he continued to live in North Bennington
North Bennington, Vermont
North Bennington is an incorporated village in the town of Bennington in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,428 at the 2000 census....
and held the position of Professor Emeritus of Language and Literature at the college. He died in Bennington on August 17, 2003, at the age of 92 and was buried in Manchester
Manchester (village), Vermont
Manchester is an incorporated village in the town of Manchester, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 602 at the 2000 census....
, Vermont.
His papers are held by the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/uva-sc/viu01986.frame
Influence
The 1962 ballet A Look at Lightning, by the American choreographer Martha GrahamMartha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
, was titled after a poem by Belitt. Errand into the Maze, also by Graham, takes its title from a Belitt poem as well.
As author
- Belitt, Ben (1955). Wilderness Stair: Poems 1938-1954. New York: Grove Press.
- Belitt, Ben (1998). This scribe, my hand: The Complete Poems of Ben Belitt. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0807123242. ISBN 0807123234.
As translator
- García Lorca, Federico (1963). Joy of the Day
- García Lorca, Federico (1964). Ode to Salvador
- Neruda, Pablo (1961). Selected Poems Edited and translated by Ben Belitt. Introduction by Luis Monguio.
- Neruda, Pablo (1963). Poems for the Mind
Recordings
- c. 1965 - Belitt, Ben. The Poetry of Ben Belitt. Recorded at the Poetry Center of the New York YM-YWHA in November 1965. Audio cassette. Audio Forum series. New York: Jeffrey Norton.
Awards
- 1937: Belitt shared the Shelley Memorial AwardShelley Memorial AwardThe Shelley Memorial Award of more than $3,500, given out by the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of the late Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need. The selection is...
for Poetry for 1936-1937 with Charlotte Wilder.