Benjamin Ivry is an American writer on the arts, broadcaster and translator. Ivry is author of biographies of Francis Poulenc,

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

, and Maurice Ravel, as well as a poetry collection, ''Paradise for the Portuguese Queen''. The latter contains poems that first appeared in, among other places, ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', the '' London Review of Books'', ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'', ''Ambit Magazine'', and ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

''. He has also translated books from the French by authors such as

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1947). Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the symbolist movement, to the advent of anticolonialism ...

, Jules Verne,

Witold Gombrowicz Witold Marian Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 – July 24, 1969) was a Polish writer and playwright. His works are characterised by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd, anti-nationalist flavor. In 1937 he published his ...

, and Balthus. Ivry has written about the arts for a variety of periodicals including ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...

'', ''

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New Yor ...

'', ''

New England Review The ''New England Review'' is an American quarterly literary magazine published by Middlebury College. It was established in 1978 by Sydney Lea and Jay Parini. From 1982 till 1990, the magazine was named ''New England Review & Bread Loaf Quart ...

'', ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'', ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British Political magazine, political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', ''

Bloomberg.com Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg Tele ...

'', and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''.

Selected bibliography

Biographies

*'' Francis Poulenc'', 1996
Phaidon
*''

'', 1998, Absolute Press, *'' Maurice Ravel: a Life'', 2000, Welcome Rain, , translated into Japanese by Shun Ishihara as *''Mōrisu raveru: aru shōgai'', 2002, Arufabēta,

Poetry

*''Paradise for the Portuguese Queen: Poems by Benjamin Ivry'', 1998, Orchises Press,

Nonfiction

*''Regatta: a Celebration of The Art of Oarsmanship'', 1988, Simon and Schuster, *''Sighing For The Silvery Moon: English Music Hall Songs Reexamined'', 2022, Wolke Verlag,

Translations

*''Without End: New and Selected Poems'' by

Adam Zagajewski Adam Zagajewski (21 June 1945 – 21 March 2021) was a Polish poet, novelist, translator, and essayist. He was awarded the 2004 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the 2016 Griffin Poetry Prize Lifetime Recognition Award, the 2017 P ...

, translated by Benjamin Ivry with Renata Gorczynski and Clare Cavanagh, 2002, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, *''Magellania'' by Jules Verne, translated by Benjamin Ivry, 2002, Welcome Rain Publishers, *''Judge Not'' by

, translated by Benjamin Ivry, 2003, University of Illinois Press, *''Vanished Splendors, a Memoir'' by Balthus, translated by Benjamin Ivry, 2003, Ecco Press, *''Mon Docteur, Le Vin (My Doctor, Wine)'' by Gaston Derys with Watercolors by

Raoul Dufy Raoul Dufy (; 3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) was a French Fauvist painter. He developed a colorful, decorative style that became fashionable for designs of ceramics and textile as well as decorative schemes for public buildings. He is noted ...

, translated by Benjamin Ivry, 2003, Yale University Press, *''A Guide to Philosophy in Six Hours and Fifteen Minutes'', by

, translated by Benjamin Ivry, 2007, Yale University Press, *''At Home with André and Simone Weil'', by Sylvie Weil, translated by Benjamin Ivry, 2010, Northwestern University Press, *''Chinese Piano: or Dueling over a Recital'', by Étienne Barilier, translated by Benjamin Ivry, 2015, Verlag Traugott Bautz GmbH, *''Clepsydra: Essay on the Plurality of Time in Judaism'', by Sylvie Anne Goldberg, translated by Benjamin Ivry, 2016, Stanford University Press, *''Transmitting Jewish History: In Conversation with Sylvie Anne Goldberg'', by Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi, translated by Benjamin Ivry, 2021, Brandeis University Press,

Book chapters, prefaces, editions

*''The Trouble with Being Born'', by E. M. Cioran, translated by

Richard Howard Richard Joseph Howard (October 13, 1929 – March 31, 2022; adopted as Richard Joseph Orwitz) was an American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and was a graduate of Columbia University, w ...

, preface by Benjamin Ivry, 1993, Quartet Books, *''Entretiens'', by E. M. Cioran, chapter by Benjamin Ivry, 1995, Gallimard Publishers, *''Love & Folly: Selected Fables and Tales of La Fontaine'', by Jean de La Fontaine, translated by

Marie Ponsot Marie Ponsot (née Birmingham; April 6, 1921 – July 5, 2019) was an American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator. Her awards and honors included the National Book Critics Circle Award, Delmore Schwartz Memorial Prize, the ...

, edited and prefaced by Benjamin Ivry, 2002, Welcome Rain Publishers, *''American Writers: a Collection of literary biographies. Supplement XIV, Cleanth Brooks to Logan Pearsall Smith'', edited by Jay Parini, essay on

Logan Pearsall Smith Logan Pearsall Smith (18 October 1865 – 2 March 1946) was an American-born British essayist and critic. Harvard and Oxford educated, he was known for his aphorisms and epigrams, and was an expert on 17th Century divines. His ''Words and Idioms ...

by Benjamin Ivry, 2004, Charles Scribner's Sons, *''British Writers Supplement X'', edited by Jay Parini, essay on

Norman Douglas George Norman Douglas (8 December 1868 – 7 February 1952) was a British writer, now best known for his 1917 novel '' South Wind''. His travel books, such as ''Old Calabria'' (1915), were also appreciated for the quality of their writing. ...

by Benjamin Ivry, 2004, Charles Scribner's Sons, *''The Oxford Encyclopaedia of American Literature'', edited by Jay Parini, essay on

Herman Melville Herman Melville ( born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are ''Moby-Dick'' (1851); ''Typee'' (1846), a rom ...

by Benjamin Ivry, 2004, Oxford University Press, *''The Oxford Encyclopaedia of American Literature'', edited by Jay Parini, essay on

by Benjamin Ivry, 2004, Oxford University Press, *''King Solomon's Mines'', by H. Rider Haggard, preface by Benjamin Ivry, 2004, Barnes & Noble Classics, *''American Writers : a Collection of Literary Biographies. Supplement XVI, John James Audubon to Gustaf Sobin'', edited by Jay Parini, essay on

Anita Loos Corinne Anita Loos (April 26, 1888 – August 18, 1981) was an American actress, novelist, playwright and screenwriter. In 1912, she became the first female staff screenwriter in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood, when D. W. Griffith put h ...

by Benjamin Ivry, 2007, Charles Scribner's Sons, *''British Writers . Supplement XVI'', edited by Jay Parini, essay on

Thomas Campion Thomas Campion (sometimes spelled Campian; 12 February 1567 – 1 March 1620) was an English composer, poet, and physician. He was born in London, educated at Cambridge, studied law in Gray's inn. He wrote over a hundred lute songs, masques ...

by Benjamin Ivry, 2010, Charles Scribner's Sons, *''American Writers: Supplement XX, a Collection of Literary Biographies'', edited by Jay Parini, essay on Howard Overing Sturgis by Benjamin Ivry, 2010, Charles Scribner's Sons,

External links

poems and translations
published in ''The New Yorker''

in ''The Evergreen Review''
articles
in the ''New York Sun''
articles
in the ''New York Observer''
articles
in ''The Forward Newspaper''
contributions
to the Horizon section of ''Commentary Magazine'' *Alan Riding

''The New York Times'', December 3, 2000. *Jori Finkel

''Village Voice'', January 15–21, 2003. *

Louis Begley Louis Begley (born Ludwik Begleiter; October 6, 1933) is a Polish-born Jewish American novelist. He is best known for writing the semi-autobiographical Holocaust novel ''Wartime Lies'' (1991) and the ''Schmidt'' trilogy: ''About Schmidt'' (1996 ...

'The Late, Great Bard of Warsaw', Review of ''A Guide to Philosophy in Six Hours and Fifteen Minutes''
''The Washington Post'', December 19, 2004. *Peter Monaghan
'Mystic and Mysterious', Review of ''At Home With André and Simone Weil''
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', October 20, 2010. *

Piers Paul Read Piers Paul Read FRSL (born 7 March 1941) is a British novelist, historian and biographer. He was first noted in 1974 for a book of reportage, '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', later adapted as a feature film and a documentary. Read ...

'A bitter legacy', Review of ''At Home With André and Simone Weil''
''The Spectator'', January 8, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ivry, Benjamin English-language poets American male poets American translators American male journalists American biographers American male biographers Living people French–English translators 20th-century American poets 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American male writers Ravel scholars