Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

John Berryman

Role / Field:

Major American poet and scholar, key figure in the confessional school.

Born:

1914-10-25

Died:

1972-01-07

Century / Era:

1914s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

John Allyn McAlpin Berryman (born John Allyn Smith, Jr.; October 25, 1914 – January 7, 1972) was an American poet and scholar. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and is considered a key figure in the "confessional" school of poetry. His 77 Dream Songs (1964) won the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. John Berryman was born on October 25, 1914, in McAlester, Oklahoma.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His great-grandfather was Confederate officer Robert G. Shaver. He lived in Oklahoma until he was 10 years old, when his father, John Smith, a banker, and his mother, Martha (also known as Peggy), a schoolteacher, moved to Florida. In 1926, in Clearwater, Florida, when Berryman was 11, his father shot and killed himself. Smith was jobless at the time, and he and Martha were filing for divorce.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Berryman was haunted by his father's death for the rest of his life and wrote about his struggle to come to terms with it in his poetry. After his father's death at the rear entrance to Kipling Arms, where the Smiths rented an apartment, the poet's mother, within months, married John Angus McAlpin Berryman in New York City. The poet was renamed John Allyn McAlpin Berryman...

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• 1914 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1914
• October 25 (10-25) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on October 25
• 1972 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1972
• January 7 (01-07) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on January 7

Frequently Asked Questions about John Berryman