Gunn, Thom William

Gunn, Thom William
▪ 2005

      British-born American poet and critic (b. Aug. 29, 1929, Gravesend, Kent, Eng.—d. April 25, 2004, San Francisco, Calif.), presented a singular voice in a writing career that stretched from the undergraduate work Fighting Terms (1954) to Boss Cupid (2000). Though both his style and subject matter underwent considerable change over the course of his writing life, Gunn never lost his appreciation for the traditional poetic forms he early mastered and transformed with his modernity. After completing two years of military service, Gunn attended Trinity College, Cambridge (B.A., 1953). While there he met American Mike Kitay, who became his lifelong partner. Gunn moved to California in 1954, taught at Stanford University, and published his second volume of poetry, which included one of his best-known poems, “On the Move,” a celebration of the tough motorcycle culture. Gunn moved permanently to San Francisco in 1960 and became a part of the drugs-and-free-love culture prevalent there. He produced several volumes during the '60s—My Sad Captains (1961), Misanthropos (1965), Positives (1966, with photographs by his younger brother, Ander Gunn), and Touch (1967)—as well as editing a volume of Fulke Greville's poetry and sharing a volume, Selected Poems (1962), with future British poet laureate Ted Hughes. Gunn's evident pleasure in his life showed itself in his growing flexibility as a poet and his increasing openness about his lifestyle. Among his later volumes of poetry were Moly (1971), Jack Straw's Castle (1975), and The Man with Night Sweats (1992), an unflinching portrait of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco. He also wrote two volumes of occasional essays and criticism, The Occasions of Poetry (1982) and Shelf Life (1993).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Gunn, Thom — ▪ British poet original name  Thomson William Gunn   born August 29, 1929, Gravesend, Kent, England died April 25, 2004, San Francisco, California, U.S.       English poet whose verse is notable for its adroit, terse language and counterculture… …   Universalium

  • Gunn, Thom(son William) — born Aug. 29, 1929, Gravesend, Kent, Eng. died April 25, 2004, San Francisco, Calif., U.S. British U.S. poet. Educated at Cambridge and Stanford universities, he lived in San Francisco from the 1950s and taught for many years at the University of …   Universalium

  • Gunn, Thom(son William) — (29 ago. 1929, Gravesend, Kent, Inglaterra–25 abr. 2004, San Francisco, Cal., EE.UU.). Poeta británicoestadounidense. Educado en las universidades de Cambridge y Stanford, vivió en San Francisco desde la década de 1950 y enseñó por muchos años en …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • GUNN (T.) — GUNN THOMSON WILLIAM dit THOM (1929 ) Né le 29 août à Gravesend dans le Kent, poète pour le grand public du cuir, des motos et du geste viril, Thom Gunn a choisi l’exil aux États Unis alors que l’Angleterre se repliait sur elle même. Au moment où …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Thom Gunn — Thomson („Thom“) William Gunn (* 29. August 1929 in Gravesend, Kent, Großbritannien; † 25. April 2004 in San Francisco, USA) war ein britischer Dichter und Universitätslehrer. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Werk und literarische Bedeutung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William — (as used in expressions) William Alexander Abbott Aberhart, William George William Russell Amis, Sir Kingsley (William) Ashley, William Henry Ashton, Sir Frederick (William Mallandaine) Barkley, Alben W(illiam) Bartram, William William Allen… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Thom Gunn — (29 August 1929 25 April 2004) was an Anglo American poet. He was born Thomson William Gunn in Gravesend, Kent. In his youth, he attended University College School in Hampstead, London. Later, he studied English literature at Trinity College,… …   Wikipedia

  • William Somerset Maugham — Nacimiento 25 de enero de 1874 París …   Wikipedia Español

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • Liste der Biografien/Gu — Biografien: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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