Richard Wilbur

“It is true that the poet does not directly address his neighbors; but he does address a great congress of persons who dwell at the back of his mind, a congress of all those who have taught him and whom he has admired; that constitute his ideal audience and his better self” (“Richard Wilbur”, National Book Foundation). Richard Wilbur spoke this famous quote at his National Book Award speech in 1957. Many of the events in Wilbur’s life transitioned to his acceptance of this award, but he did not know what direction his life was going in at the time. From the events in his early childhood learning how to write from his maternal grandfather and great-grandfather, to his later becoming a World War II veteran and getting a degree from Harvard University, and everything in-between, Richard Wilbur spent the rest of his life creating a breathtaking assortment of poems which largely connected to his early life.

Richard Wilbur’s birth and early life led to his first spark of interest in writing at a young age when he met his grandfather and great-grandfather. He was born on March 1st, 1921 in New York City, New York (Haralson 759). Richard lived in North Caldwell, New Jersey for the rest of his pastoral childhood with his middle-class family (Gioia). They resided on a large property and they did not have many neighbors (Gioia). He enjoyed wandering off to random places on the property with his brothers, and he enjoyed the nature, which inspired some of his later poetry (Gioia).Wilbur’s maternal grandfather and his great-grandfather were both editors and Wilbur began to acquire a love for journalism stronger than his love for painting like his father (“Richard Wilbur”, Poetry Foundation). He enjoyed the company of his grandfather and gre...

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...people think more about the life in which they live everyday. His poems connected to his life, e.g. the poems about nature in The Beautiful Changes connected to his life on a large property and its connections to his time on the battlefield. Wilbur closed out his National Book Award acceptance speech by saying: “Writing poetry, then, is an unsocial way of manufacturing a thoroughly social product. Because he must shield his poetry in its creation, the poet, more than other writers, will write without recognition. And because his product is not in great demand, he is likely to look on honors and distinctions with the feigned indifference of the wallflower. Yet of course he is pleased when recognition comes; for what better proof is there that for some people poetry is still a useful and necessary thing -- like a shoe” (“Richard Wilbur”, National Book Foundation).