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Hilda DulitlAmerican poet, founder of imagism, known under the pseudonym H.D.
Date of Birth: 10.09.1886
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of H.D.
H.D., also known as Hilda Doolittle, was an American poet and the founder of Imagism. She was born on September 10, 1886, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Her father was an astronomy professor, and her mother came from a family belonging to the religious sect called the "Moravian Brethren," which was founded in the 18th century and greatly influenced H.D.'s imagination. She received most of her education in private schools. She attended Bryn Mawr College for only a year and a half before dropping out. During the next five years, she stayed at home, reading Greek and Latin literature and pursuing poetry. Throughout this time, she had many conversations with her neighbor, Ezra Pound, who inspired her to pursue poetry. In 1908, Pound moved to London, and in 1911, H.D. followed him. They became engaged, but in 1913, she married poet Richard Aldington instead. Together with Aldington, they became pioneers of a new direction in poetry. The goal of Imagism, as they and their fellow imagists Thomas Ernest Hulme, Frances Flint, and Ezra Pound outlined in their "Imagist Manifesto," was to produce poetry that was "hard and clear, which would be neither vague nor indefinite... Concentration is the very essence of poetry."
Personal Challenges and Romantic Relationships
H.D. faced early setbacks in her marriage to Aldington, including a miscarriage and the death of her beloved older brother. During this time, she met Bryher (Annie Winifred Ellerman). "So insanely," H.D. wrote about their first meeting, "that it's terrible. No man has ever courted me like this." Bryher wanted to take care of the poet and her newborn daughter, Perdita, and H.D. accepted her care. They traveled together to Greece in 1920 and to Egypt in 1923 before finally settling in Switzerland. The publication of her book "Selected Poems" in 1925 solidified H.D.'s reputation as one of the most significant contemporary poets. The book included several poems based on fragments from Sappho. Over the next fifteen years, H.D. published not only poetry but also stories, including "Palimpsest" (1926), "Hedylus" (1928), a verse drama titled "Hippolytos Temporizes" (1927), and a series of highly artistic translations, including Euripides' "Ion" (1937). In 1933, H.D. faced severe depression and decided to undergo psychoanalysis with Sigmund Freud. She was particularly fascinated by his ability to interpret dreams, and they had a very open and honest relationship. Freud declared that she was still alive and that she was a true bisexual. In 1937, H.D. divorced her husband.
Later Life and Legacy
During World War II, H.D. lived in London and published three books of poetry: "The Walls Do Not Fall" (1944), "Tribute to Angels" (1945), and "Flowering Judas" (1946). After the war, she returned to Switzerland with Bryher. In the last year of her life, H.D. published the expansive poetic sequence "Helen in Egypt," as a response to Ezra Pound's "Cantos" (1961). In 1960, she became the first woman to be awarded the Medal of Merit in Poetry by the American Academy of Arts. H.D. passed away on September 27, 1961, at the age of 75 in Zurich.
