Olds, Sharon

Olds, Sharon

▪ American poet
born Nov. 19, 1942, San Francisco, Calif., U.S.

      American poet best known for her powerful, often erotic, imagery of the body and her examination of the family.

      Olds grew up in San Francisco, the daughter of an abusive, alcoholic father and a weak, compliant mother; her anger at her parents would influence her poetry. She studied at Stanford University (B.A., 1964) and at Columbia University (Ph.D., 1972). Thereafter she taught poetry at numerous schools and in workshops. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for her work in 1981.

      Olds's first collection, Satan Says (1980), describes her early sexual life in frank language. The book was praised as a daring, auspicious debut. In The Dead and the Living (1984), which received several major poetry awards, she refined her poetic voice. Her poems honouring the dead encompass both family members and victims of political violence; those addressed to the living continue to examine the life of the body. She further developed this theme in The Gold Cell (1987). The poet presents arguments against her parents' marriage in “I Go Back to May 1937” and explores their relationship in other poems in the collection. The Matter of This World: New and Selected Poems (1987) and The Father (1992) continue her intimate meditations—free of bitterness and self-pity—on her own life, as does The Wellspring (1996), a collection of poems treating marital and parental relationships. Olds's later collections include Blood, Tin, Straw (1999), The Unswept Room (2002), and One Secret Thing (2008).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sharon Olds — (born November 19, 1942) is an American poet and author of eight volumes of poetry. LifeSharon Olds was born in 1942 in San Francisco. She was raised as a hellfire Calvinist. [http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m r/olds/about.htm] After… …   Wikipedia

  • Sharon Olds — es una poeta americana en lengua inglesa, autora de ocho libros de poesía. Contenido 1 Vida 2 Poesía 3 Carta a Laura Bush 4 Obra …   Wikipedia Español

  • Olds — may refer to: Oldsmobile, a brand of automobile manufactured in the US from 1897 2004 People F. E. Olds (Frank Ellsworth Olds, 1861 1928), founder of American brass musical instrument manufacturing company James Olds (1922 1976), psychologist and …   Wikipedia

  • Olds — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: James Olds (1922−1976), US amerikanischer Psychologe Ransom Eli Olds (1864−1950), US amerikanischer Unternehmer Robin Olds (1922−2007), US amerikanischer General Sharon Olds (* 1942), US amerikanische… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sharon Hollows — Dame Sharon Hollows, DBE (born 1958) is an English schoolteacher and headmistress. When Hollows took on her first headship at Calverton Primary School in Newham, London in 1994, pupils performance was very poor. But by the time the 1999 primary… …   Wikipedia

  • Gabriel Olds — Infobox actor name = Gabriel Olds imagesize = caption = Gabriel Olds (Photo:Bridge Mahelik)] birthplace = New York, New York, U.S. awards = LA Weekly Theater Awards, Best Actor, winner 2007 Tryst Ticketholder Awards, Best Actor, nominated 2007… …   Wikipedia

  • New Sharon, Iowa —   City   Location of New Sharon …   Wikipedia

  • American literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced in the English language in the United States.       Like other national literatures, American literature was shaped by the history of the country that produced it. For almost a century and a… …   Universalium

  • The X Factor (UK series 3) — The third UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on the ITV network in the United Kingdom and TV3 in the Republic of Ireland. The first show aired on 19 August 2006. Twelve million people tuned into the final on 16 December 2006, which saw Leona …   Wikipedia

  • Griffin Poetry Prize — The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada s most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. Each winner… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”