Bynner, Witter

Bynner, Witter, 1881-1968, American poet, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., grad. Harvard, 1902. As a poet Bynner had a remarkable facility for catching the cadences of other writers and cultures. Under the pseudonym Emanuel Morgan he collaborated with Arthur Davidson Ficke in writing Spectra (1917), a book parodying contemporary poetic vogues such as imagism; Spectra was for a time considered a serious work (see literary frauds). With Dr. Kaing Kung-Ho, Bynner translated 300 Chinese poems published in The Jade Mountain (1929). His other works include several plays and essays; a reminiscence of D. H. Lawrence, Journey with Genius (1951); and such volumes of poetry as Grenstone Poems (1917), Indian Earth (1929), Selected Poems (1943), Take Away the Darkness (1947), and New Poems (1960).

The Witter Bynner Poetry Prize was established by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980 to support the work of a young poet. It is named for poet Witter Bynner.

Winners:

• 2003—Benjamin Ross Autry
• 2002—Susan Wheeler
• 2001—Rachel Wetzsteon
• 2000—Dana Levin
• 1999—Brigit Pegeen Kelly
• 1998—Elizabeth Spires
• 1997—Mark Doty
• 1996—Lucie Brock-Broido
• 1995—Franz Wright

See also

• Witter Bynner Fellowships
• American poetry
• List of poetry awards
• List of literature awards
• List of years in poetry
• List of years in literature

External links