Conrad Aiken (5 August, 1889 – 17 August, 1973) was an American writer and poet. Mr. Aiken was a Pulitzer Prize winner and a U.S. Poet Laureate.
Fun Facts about Conrad Aiken:
- Conrad Potter Aiken was born in Savannah, GA. His father, William Ford, was a respected doctor, while his mother, Anna, came from a prominent Massachusetts family.
- Tragedy occurred on 27 February, 1901 when Dr. Aiken murdered his wife and committed suicide. Eleven-year-old Aiken heard two gunshots and discovered the bodies when investigating.
- You Aiken’s great uncle and aunt, in Cambridge, MA raised him and his three siblings thereafter, where he attended and graduated from Harvard.
- When attending Harvard, Mr. Aiken edited the Harvard Advocate, a literary magazine, with T. S. Eliot. The two colleagues became lifelong friends.
- In 1930, Conrad Aiken won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his book Selected Poems.
- Aiken was influenced by symbolism, as well as his childhood tragedy. Other influences included his grandfather, a church preacher, as well as Walt Whitman.
- The poet was a tutor for a year at Harvard (1927-28).
- From 1950 Conrad Aiken served as Poet Laureate of the United States for two years.
- Aiken always considered himself a New Englander, despite being recognized as a Southern writer.
- The Library of America selected the story Arcularis (1931) for inclusion in a 2009 retrospective of American fantastic tales..
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Fun Facts Friday: Conrad Aiken
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Conrad Aiken (5 August, 1889 – 17 August, 1973) was an American writer and poet. Mr. Aiken was a Pulitzer Prize winner and a U.S. Poet Laureate.
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Man of la Book
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