L.E. Sissman
Encyclopedia
Louis Edward Sissman was a poet
and advertising executive.
.
Near the end of World War II Sissman entered Harvard. He was expelled but returned, graduating in 1949 as Class Poet.
In 1950's, he worked at Prentice-Hall as a copyeditor in New York City
.
In the 1960s, he worked at odd jobs, including campaigning for John F. Kennedy
. Eventually, he was hired by Quinn and Johnson Advertising, in Boston
, and he rose to Creative Vice President. He married Anne, and lived in Still River
.
In 1965, he discovered he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He fought the disease for a decade. He wrote book reviews and poems for The New Yorker
, monthly columns for the Atlantic, and was published in Harper's Magazine.
His papers are at Harvard University
.
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 advertising executive.
Life
Sissman was raised in Detroit. He went to private schools, and in 1941 he became a national spelling champion. He was a Quiz KidQuiz Kids
Quiz Kids, a popular radio-TV series of the 1940s and 1950s, was created by Chicago public relations and advertising man Louis G. Cowan . Originally sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, the series was first broadcast on NBC from Chicago, June 28, 1940, airing as a summer replacement show for Alec Templeton...
.
Near the end of World War II Sissman entered Harvard. He was expelled but returned, graduating in 1949 as Class Poet.
In 1950's, he worked at Prentice-Hall as a copyeditor in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In the 1960s, he worked at odd jobs, including campaigning for John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. Eventually, he was hired by Quinn and Johnson Advertising, in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and he rose to Creative Vice President. He married Anne, and lived in Still River
Still River, Massachusetts
Still River is a village located on the west side of the town of Harvard, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.Noted for its spectacular views of Mount Wachusett, Still River is home to Saint Benedict Abbey, St. Benedict Center, Willard Farm Stand, and rolling hills, meadows, and...
.
In 1965, he discovered he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He fought the disease for a decade. He wrote book reviews and poems for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, monthly columns for the Atlantic, and was published in Harper's Magazine.
His papers are at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Awards
- Garrison Prize
- Golden Rose AwardGolden Rose AwardThe Golden Rose Award, one of America’s oldest literary prizes, was inaugurated in 1919.The rose was modeled after the Gold Rose which is now in the Cluny Museum in Paris. The awards the Rose annually for American poetry.-List of winners:...
- Hello Darkness, won the 1978 National Book Critics Circle AwardNational Book Critics Circle AwardThe 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....
Reviews
The poetry of Louis Edward Sissman speaks to us out of midcentury American life with all of the poise and formal elegance of W. H. AudenW. H. AudenWystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
yet with the joie de vivre of Sissman's Harvard contemporary Frank O'HaraFrank O'HaraFrancis Russell "Frank" O'Hara was an American writer, poet and art critic. He was a member of the New York School of poetry.-Life:...
....The influence of Sissman's poetry has now survived into a second generation. The poet Brad LeithauserBrad LeithauserBrad E. Leithauser is an American poet, novelist, essayist, and teacher. After serving as the Emily Dickinson Lecturer in the Humanities at Mount Holyoke College and visiting professor at the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, he is now on faculty at The...
, born after Sissman graduated from college, declared in The New Criterion that "[Sissman] can serve as a model to every contemporary poet." And Edward HirschEdward HirschEdward Hirsch is an American poet and critic who wrote a national bestseller about reading poetry. He has published eight books of poems, including The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems , which brings together thirty-five years of work. He is president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial...
, in the foreword to Night Music, states, "He provides an example of wit schooled by feeling and deepened by experience, of intellect coming together with restrained but warm underlying emotion, of poetic freedom enabled by expertise."