Rae Armanyrout American poet Date of Birth: 13.04.1947 Country: USA

Biography of Rae Armantrout

Rae Armantrout is an American poet who identifies herself as a member of the avant-garde group known as the "Language poets." She gained recognition for her work in the late 70s and early 80s through the poetry journal 'L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E'. Armantrout's poetry is characterized by its wit, linguistic inventiveness, and explosive impact on the reader's mind long after reading. She has published ten poetry collections and has been featured in several major anthologies.

Currently, Armantrout serves as a professor of poetry and poetics at the University of California, San Diego, where she also chairs the Poetry and Poetics department. In 2010, Armantrout was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for her collection 'Versed' published by Wesleyan University Press. This collection was also nominated for a National Book Award. Later on, the same collection earned her the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Her most recent collection, 'Just Saying', was published in February 2013 by the same press.

Armantrout has received numerous other awards and honors in the field of poetry, including the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Award in 2007 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008. Her work has been widely recognized and included in various anthologies such as 'The Oxford Book of American Poetry', 'The Best American Poetry', and 'Postmodern American Poetry: A Norton Anthology'.

Born on April 13, 1947, in Vallejo, California, Armantrout grew up in the outskirts of San Diego. As an only child, she was raised in strict Methodist working-class communities on military bases. In her autobiography, 'True' (1998), Armantrout reflects on her isolated and lonely childhood as a sensitive girl.

In 1965, while still living with her parents in a suburb of San Diego, Armantrout enrolled at the University of San Diego, initially intending to specialize in anthropology. However, she eventually switched to English and American literature, and later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, she had the opportunity to study under the British poet Denise Levertov and became friends with Ron Silliman, who would later join the "Language Poets" in San Francisco.

Armantrout completed her undergraduate education in 1970 and a year later married Chuck Korkegian, whom she had been dating since her freshman year. During this time, she began publishing poetry in the journal 'Caterpillar' and started considering herself a poet. She later earned a Master's degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco and published her first poetry collection, 'Extremities', in 1978.

Armantrout was among the earliest members of the "Language Poets" on the East Coast and has been described by critics as the most lyrical, original, and recognizable poet in the group. Her work has established her as one of the finest American poets of her generation. Armantrout attributes her poetic influences to the works of William Carlos Williams and Emily Dickinson, from whom she gained her sense of line and an understanding of how line breaks can create intrigue.

Armantrout's poetry spans across various forms, including traditional verse and prose poems. To date, she has published fourteen poetry collections and three books of prose. Her work has left an indelible mark in contemporary poetry and continues to be celebrated in literary circles worldwide.