Naomi Lazard (born Naomi Katz in Philadelphia, March 17, 1928, died December 22, 2021) was an American poet,

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

author, and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. She was the winner of two Fellowships from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

and a former president of the Poetry Society of America. Her translations of

Faiz Ahmed Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Out ...

have been widely acclaimed.

Biography

She has published three volumes of poetry: '' Cry of the Peacocks'' ( Harcourt, Brace & World; 1967), '' The Moonlit Upper Deckerina'' ( Sheep Meadow Press, 1977), and '' Ordinances'' (

Ardis Ardis may refer to: * Ardis (given name) * Ardis, Ottoman Empire * Ardis (retailer), a supermarket chain in Algiers, Algeria * Ardis Furnace, an abandoned experimental blast furnace in Michigan *Ardis Publishing, a Russian-English publishing compan ...

, 1984). The poems in ''Ordinances'' are notable for their "dark Orwellian tone" - describing life lived under a monstrous, faceless bureaucracy. She also brought out '' The True Subject: Selected Poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz'', a volume of translations from the work of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

ian poet

. She has also translated the works of

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n poet

Nina Cassian Nina Cassian (pen name of Renée Annie Cassian-Mătăsaru; 27 November 1924, in Galați – 14 April 2014, in New York City) was a Romanian poet, children's book writer, translator, journalist, accomplished pianist and composer, and film critic. ...

. She is also the author of the children’s book '' What Amanda Saw'' (illustrated by

Paul O. Zelinsky Paul O. Zelinsky (born 1953) is an American illustrator and writer who illustrated Children's literature, children's picture books. He won the 1998 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, for ''Rapunzel (book), Rapunzel''. His most popu ...

). She also wrote the screenplay '' The White Raven'', and the play, '' The Elephant and the Dove''. In 1992, Lazard co-founded the Hamptons International Film Festival. Despite her prominence as a poet, Lazard is considered a "poet's poet" and not very well known in broader circles. Her poems have been anthologized in

Joy Katz Joy Katz (b Newark, New Jersey) is an American poet who was awarded a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry.Poem: ''electronic poetry review 3'' > ''A desk chai'' by Joy Katz* _''How_I_feel_about_topiary''_by_Joy_Katz.html" ;" ...

and

Kevin Prufer Kevin D. Prufer (born 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American poet, academic, editor, and essayist. His most recent books are ''How He Loved Them'' ( Four Way Books, 2018),''Churches'' ( Four Way Books, 2014), ''In A Beautiful Country'' ( Four ...

's '' Dark Horses: Poets on Overlooked Poems'' (2007) and in Czeslaw Milosz's anthology, '' The Book of Luminous Things'' (1996). Her poem, '' To Answer Your Query'', has been read by

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

Bibliography

* ''Cry of the Peacocks'' (1967) * ''The Moonlit Upper Deckerina'' (1977) * ''What Amanda Saw'' (1981) (illustrated by

) * ''Ordinances'' (1984)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazard, Naomi 1928 births 2021 deaths 21st-century American women American children's writers American translators American women children's writers American women dramatists and playwrights American women poets