Discipline: Literature – poetry

Anthony Hecht

Discipline: Literature – poetry
MacDowell Fellowships: 1953
More: www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/anthony-hecht
Anthony Hecht (1923-2004) was an American poet. His work combined a deep interest in form with a passionate desire to confront the horrors of 20th century history. World War II, in which he fought, and the Holocaust are recurrent themes in his work. Hecht released his first collection, A Summoning of Stones, in 1954. Even at this stage Hecht's poetry was often compared with that of Auden, with whom Hecht had become friends in 1951 during a holiday on the Italian island of Ischia, where Auden spent each summer. In 1993 Hecht published The Hidden Law, a critical reading of Auden's body of work. In his second book, The Hard Hours, Hecht first addressed his own experiences of World War II – memories that had caused him to have a nervous breakdown in 1959. Hecht spent three months in hospital following his breakdown, although he was spared electric shock therapy. Hecht's main source of income was as a teacher of poetry, most notably at the University of Rochester, where he taught from 1967 to 1985. He also spent varying lengths of time teaching at other notable institutions such as Smith, Bard, Harvard, Georgetown, and Yale.