Hayden Carruth (August 3, 1921 – September 29, 2008) was an American
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
,
literary critic and
anthologist
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically catego ...
. He taught at
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
.
Life
Hayden Carruth was born in
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...
and grew up in
Woodbury, Connecticut
Woodbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,723 at the 2020 census. The town center, comprising the adjacent villages of Woodbury and North Woodbury, is designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Woo ...
. He graduated from Pleasantville High School in
Pleasantville, New York
Pleasantville is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located 30 miles north of Manhattan. The village population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. Pleasantville is home to the secondary campu ...
with the class of 1939 as vice president of the senior class; he was credited with the "prettiest hair." He received his undergraduate degree from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
in 1943 and an
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
in 1948. While institutionalized in
White Plains, New York
(Always Faithful)
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, subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State
, su ...
from 1953 to 1954, he befriended and subsequently mentored
Gordon Lish
Gordon Lish (born February 11, 1934 in Hewlett, New York) is an American writer. As a literary editor, he championed many American authors, particularly Raymond Carver, Barry Hannah, Amy Hempel, Rick Bass, and Richard Ford. He is the father of t ...
throughout his adolescence. He lived in
Johnson, Vermont
Johnson is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,491 at the 2020 census. The town is home to Northern Vermont University-Johnson, a part the Vermont State Colleges system. The Vermont Studio Center is locate ...
for many years. From 1977 to 1988, he was the poetry editor of ''
Harper's Magazine''.
After teaching at
Johnson State College
Johnson State College was a public liberal arts college in Johnson, Vermont. Founded in 1828 by John Chesamore, in 2018 it was merged with the former Lyndon State College to create Northern Vermont University.
History and governance
Both t ...
(poet-in-residence; 1972–1974) and the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...
(adjunct professor; 1975–1978), Carruth was a tenured professor of English at
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
in the graduate creative writing program beginning in 1979; in this capacity, he taught and mentored many younger poets (including
Brooks Haxton and
Allen Hoey
Allen Hoey (October 21, 1952 – June 16, 2010) 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''.ht ...
) before taking emeritus status in 1991. He resided with his wife, fellow 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.
Early life
Hayden Carruth was the son of
Gorton Veeder Carruth a journalist and newspaper editor, and Margery Carruth.
His interest in poetry started early due to his father.
Works
Carruth wrote more than 30 books of poetry, four books of
literary criticism,
essays
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
, a
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
and two poetry anthologies. Prior to his affiliation with ''Harper's'', he served as editor-in-chief of ''
Poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
'' (1949–1950) and as advisory editor of ''
The Hudson Review
''The Hudson Review'' is a quarterly journal of literature and the arts.
History
It was founded in 1947 in New York, by William Arrowsmith, Joseph Deericks Bennett, and George Frederick Morgan. The first issue was introduced in the spring of 194 ...
'' for twenty years. He was awarded a
Guggenheim and the
NEA fellowships.
In 1992 he was awarded the
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".[National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...]
in poetry for his ''Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey''.
[ Shortly after the debut of ''Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey'', he also won the $50,000 ]Lannan Literary Award
The Lannan Literary Awards are a series of awards and literary fellowships given out in various fields by the Lannan Foundation. Established in 1989, the awards are meant "to honor both established and emerging writers whose work is of exceptional ...
. 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.'' His ''Last Poems'' (Copper Canyon Press
Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. It is located in Port Townsend, Washington.
Copper Canyon Press publishes new collections of poetry by both pop ...
, 2012) combines poems written toward the end of his life with the concluding poems from twenty-six of his previous volumes. Other awards with which he was honored included the Carl Sandburg Award
Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...
, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize
The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreac ...
, the Paterson Poetry Prize, the 1990 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is awarded annually by The Poetry Foundation, which also publishes ''Poetry'' magazine. The prize was established in 1986 by Ruth Lilly. It honors a living U.S. poet whose "lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordina ...
, 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. Among his influences, Carruth particularly admired 18th century poet Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...
, lauding "Pope's rationalism
In philosophy, rationalism is the epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification".Lacey, A.R. (1996), ''A Dictionary of Philosophy' ...
and pandeism
Pandeism (or pan-deism), is a theological doctrine that combines aspects of pantheism with aspects of deism. Unlike classical deism, which holds that God does not interfere with the universe after its creation, pandeism holds that a creator d ...
with which he wrote the greatest mock-epic in English literature"
Many of Carruth's best-known poems are about the people and places of northern Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, as well as rural poverty and hardship, addressing loneliness, insanity, and death. One of his most celebrated poems is "Emergency Haying".
Published works
*''The Crow and the Heart'' (NY: The Macmillan Company, The Macmillan Poets, Paperback, 1959).
*''The Norfolk Poems'' (Iowa City, IA: Prairie Press, 1962)
*''Appendix A'' (1963): a novel about adultery.
*''Nothing for Tigers: Poems 1959–1964'' (NY: The Macmillan Company, 1965)
*''The Clay Hill Anthology'' (Iowa City, IA: Prairie Press, 1970)
*''For You—Poems'' (NY: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1970)
*''From Snow and Rock, from Chaos'' (NY: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1973)
*''Dark World'' (Santa Cruz, Calif: Kayak, 1974)
*''The Bloomingdale Papers'' (Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press, Contemporary Poetry Series, Paperback, 1974), Illustrations by Albert Christ-Janer
*''Brothers, I Loved You All: Poems 1969–1977'' (Riverdale-on-Hudson, NY: The Sheep Meadow Press, 1978)
*''The Sleeping Beauty'' (1982)
*''Working Papers: Selected Essays and Reviews'' (Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press, 1982), Edited by Judith Weissman
*''If You Call This Cry a Song'' (Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 1983)
*''Effluences from the Sacred Caves: More Selected Essays and Reviews'' (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1983)
*''The Selected Poetry of Hayden Carruth'' (NY: Macmillan/Simon & Schuster, 1985), Foreword by Galway Kinnell
*''Asphalt Georgics'' (NY: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1985)
*''The Oldest Killed Lake in North America: Poems 1979–1981'' (Grenada, MS: Salt-Works Press, Paperback, July 1985)
*''Lighter Than Air Craft'' (Lewisburg, PA: Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering ...
/The Press of Appletree Alley, 1985)
*''Sitting In: Selected Writings on Jazz, Blues, & Related Topics'' (Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press, Hardcover, 1986)
*''Sonnets ''(Lewisburg, PA: The Press of Appletree Alley, 1989), Illustrated by Barnard Taylor
*''Tell Me Again How the White Heron Rises and Flies Across the Nacreous River at Twilight Toward the Distant Islands'' (NY: New Directions Publishing Corporation, October 1989)
*''The Sleeping Beauty'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press
Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. It is located in Port Townsend, Washington.
Copper Canyon Press publishes new collections of poetry by both pop ...
, 1990)
*''Collected Shorter Poems: 1946–1991'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 1992)
*''Suicides and Jazzers'' (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, Poets on Poetry Series, 1992)
*''Collected Longer Poems'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 1994)
*''Selected Essays & Reviews'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 1996)
*''Scrambled Eggs & Whiskey: Poems, 1991–1995'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 1996) —winner of the National Book Award for Poetry
The National Book Award for Poetry is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers". ["National Book Awards – 1996"]
National Book Foundation
The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...
. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
(With acceptance speech by Carruth and essay by Patrick Rosal from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog.)
*''Reluctantly: Autobiographical Essays'' (1998)
*''Beside the Shadblow Tree: A Memoir of James Laughlin'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 1999)
*''Hayden Carruth: A Listener's Guide'' (audio CD) 2000
*''Doctor Jazz'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2001)
*''Letters to Jane'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2004)
*''Toward the Distant Islands: New and Selected Poems'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2006)
*''A Vision of Now'' (The Sewanee Review), 2009) — published posthumously
*''Last Poems'' (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press
Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. It is located in Port Townsend, Washington.
Copper Canyon Press publishes new collections of poetry by both pop ...
, 2012)
Editor
*''The Voice That Is Great within Us'' (1970): an influential anthology of American poetry.
References
External links
Carruth's website
Poems, Audio, and Biography for Hayden Carruth at Poets.org
Profile at The Whiting Foundation
"Lives of a Poet", article in University of Chicago Magazine, April 2005
*
Inventory of the Hayden Carruth Letters and Poem
at the Newberry Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carruth, Hayden
American literary critics
American male poets
National Book Award winners
Vermont culture
Writers from Waterbury, Connecticut
People from Johnson, Vermont
1921 births
2008 deaths
20th-century American poets
People from Woodbury, Connecticut
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers