Hayden Carruth
Encyclopedia
Hayden Carruth was an American
poet
and literary critic. He taught at Syracuse University
.
, and was educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and at the University of Chicago
. He lived in Johnson, Vermont for many years. Carruth taught at Syracuse University
, in the Graduate Creative Writing Program, where he taught and mentored many younger poets, including Brooks Haxton and Allen Hoey
. He resided with his wife, poet Joe-Anne McLaughlin Carruth near the small central New York
village of Munnsville. He wrote for over sixty years. Carruth died from complications following a series of strokes.
, essays, a novel
and two poetry anthologies. He served as editor of Poetry magazine, as poetry editor of Harper's, and as advisory editor of The Hudson Review
20 years. He was awarded a Bollingen Prize
and Guggenheim
and the NEA
fellowships.
In 1992 he was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award
for his Collected Shorter Poems and in 1997 the National Book Award
in poetry for his 1996 book Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey. Shortly after the debut of Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey, he also won the $50,000 Lannan Literary Award. His later titles include the 2001 collection of poems Doctor Jazz and a 70-minute audio CD of him reading selections from Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey and Collected Shorter Poems. Other awards with which he was honored included the Carl Sandburg Award, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the Paterson Poetry Prize, the 1990 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
, the Vermont Governor's Medal and the Whiting Award.
Noted for the breadth of his linguistic and formal resources, influenced by jazz and the blues, Carruth's poems are informed by his political radicalism and sense of cultural responsibility.
Many of Carruth's best-known poems are about the people and places of northern Vermont
, as well as rural poverty and hardship, addressing loneliness, insanity, and death. One of his most celebrated poems is "Emergency Haying".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
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 literary critic. He taught at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
.
Life
Hayden Carruth grew up in Woodbury, ConnecticutWoodbury, Connecticut
Woodbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,198 at the 2000 census. The town center is also designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place . Woodbury was founded in 1672....
, and was educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
and at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He lived in Johnson, Vermont for many years. Carruth taught at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, in the Graduate Creative Writing Program, where he taught and mentored many younger poets, including Brooks Haxton and Allen Hoey
Allen Hoey
Allen Hoey was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic who received numerous honors during his lifetime, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his 2008 collection of poems Country Music.-Life:...
. He resided with his wife, poet Joe-Anne McLaughlin Carruth near the small central New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
village of Munnsville. He wrote for over sixty years. Carruth died from complications following a series of strokes.
Works
Carruth authored more than 30 books of poetry, four books of literary criticismLiterary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
, essays, a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
and two poetry anthologies. He served as editor of Poetry magazine, as poetry editor of Harper's, and as advisory editor of The Hudson Review
The Hudson Review
The Hudson Review is a quarterly journal of literature and the arts. It was founded in 1947 in New York by William Ayers Arrowsmith, Joseph Deericks Bennett, and George Frederick Morgan. The first issue was introduced in the spring of 1948...
20 years. He was awarded a Bollingen Prize
Bollingen Prize
The Bollingen Prize for Poetry, which is currently awarded every two years by Beinecke Library of Yale University, is a literary honor bestowed on an American poet in recognition of the best book of new verse within the last two years, or for lifetime achievement.-Inception and controversy:The...
and Guggenheim
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim 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...
and the NEA
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
fellowships.
In 1992 he was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
for his Collected Shorter Poems and in 1997 the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
in poetry for his 1996 book Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey. Shortly after the debut of Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey, he also won the $50,000 Lannan Literary Award. His later titles include the 2001 collection of poems Doctor Jazz and a 70-minute audio CD of him reading selections from Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey and Collected Shorter Poems. Other awards with which he was honored included the Carl Sandburg Award, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the Paterson Poetry Prize, the 1990 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is awarded annually by The Poetry Foundation; the Foundation also publishes Poetry. The Prize was established in 1986 by Ruth Lilly. The prize honors a living U.S. poet whose "lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition"; its value is presently $100,000...
, the Vermont Governor's Medal and the Whiting Award.
Noted for the breadth of his linguistic and formal resources, influenced by jazz and the blues, Carruth's poems are informed by his political radicalism and sense of cultural responsibility.
Many of Carruth's best-known poems are about the people and places of northern Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, as well as rural poverty and hardship, addressing loneliness, insanity, and death. One of his most celebrated poems is "Emergency Haying".
Published works
- Appendix A, 1963: a novel about adultery.
- The Voice That Is Great within Us, 1970: an influential anthology of American poetry.
- The Mythology of Dark & Light, 1982: a long poem published as a limited edition chapbook, later republished in Collected Longer Poems
- Mother, 1985: a long poem published as a limited edition chapbook, later republished in Tell Me Again How the White Heron Rises and Flies Across the Nacreous River at Twilight Toward the Distant Islands (1989) and subsequently gathered in Collected Longer Poems
- The Sleeping Beauty, (Copper Canyon PressCopper Canyon PressCopper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
, 1990) - Collected Shorter Poems: 1946-1991, (Copper Canyon Press, 1992)
- Suicides and Jazzers, 1992
- Collected Longer Poems, (Copper Canyon Press, 1994)
- Selected Essays & Reviews, 1996
- Scrambled Eggs & Whiskey, (Copper Canyon Press, 1997)
- Reluctantly: Autobiographical Essays, 1998
- Beside the Shadblow Tree: A Memoir of James Laughlin, (Copper Canyon Press, 1999)
- Hayden Carruth: A Listener's Guide, (audio CD) 2000
- Doctor Jazz, (Copper Canyon Press, 2001)
- Letters to Jane, (Copper Canyon Press, 2004)
- Toward the Distant Islands: New and Selected Poems, (Copper Canyon Press, 2006)
External links
- Carruth's website
- Poems, Audio, and Biography for Hayden Carruth at Poets.org
- "Lives of a Poet", article in University of Chicago Magazine, April 2005
- Memoriam for Carruth at Syracuse
- Matt Schudel, Obituaries, Hayden Carruth, 87; Poems Reflected Struggles of Life, Washington Post, 1 October 2008
- Andrew Rosenheim, Hayden Carruth: Poet who produced work of 'unapologetic affection' despite lifelong struggles with mental illness (Obituary), The Independent, 4 October 2008
- William Grimes, Hayden Carruth, Poet and Critic, Dies at 87, New York Times, 30 September 2008
- Elaine Woo, Hayden Carruth dies at 87; poet wrote eloquently of farmers' lives even as he battled emotional ills, Los Angeles Times, 3 October 2008
- Hayden Carruth in VQR: The Earth Too Cried Out for Justice
- Inventory of Hayden Carruth Papers, Special Collections, University of Vermont Library