Date of Birth: February 18, 1926
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Date of Death: February 25, 2001
Biography
Archie Randolph Ammons, widely known as A. R. Ammons, was an influential American poet renowned for his unique voice and contributions to contemporary poetry. Born in rural North Carolina, Ammons’ upbringing in the agrarian South significantly influenced his work, which often reflected themes of nature, science, and the human condition. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before pursuing higher education at Wake Forest University and later at the University of California, Berkeley. Ammons worked various jobs, including as an elementary school principal and a sales executive, before dedicating himself to poetry. His career took off when his long poem “Tape for the Turn of the Year” gained critical acclaim. Ammons received several prestigious awards, including two National Book Awards for Poetry, the Wallace Stevens Award, and the Robert Frost Medal. He was a beloved professor at Cornell University, where he influenced many young poets. Ammons passed away in 2001, leaving behind a legacy of profound and thoughtful poetry that continues to inspire readers and writers alike.
5 Interesting Facts about A. R. Ammons
1. A. R. Ammons served as a radar technician in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
2. He wrote his first poem while stationed on a destroyer escort in the South Pacific.
3. Ammons’ work often explores the intersection between nature and human experience.
4. He received the National Book Award for Poetry twice, for “Collected Poems, 1951-1971” and “Garbage.”
5. Ammons was a professor at Cornell University for nearly 30 years.
5 Most Interesting Quotes from A. R. Ammons
1. “A poem is a walk.”
2. “You have your identity when you find out, not what you can keep your mind on, but what you can’t keep your mind off.”
3. “Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful.”
4. “Each poem in becoming generates the laws by which it is generated: extensions of the laws to other poems never completely take.”
5. “Reflective abstraction, however, is based not on individual actions but on coordinated actions.”
Highest Net Worth Achieved
At the peak of his career, A. R. Ammons’ net worth was estimated to be around $1 million, primarily from his published works and academic career.
Children
A. R. Ammons had two children: a son named John Ammons and a daughter named Cathy Ammons.
Relevant Links
2. [Academy of American Poets – A. R. Ammons](https://poets.org/poet/r-ammons
3. [Cornell University Profile](http://english.cornell.edu/archivess
5. [A. R. Ammons’ Works on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=A.+R.+Ammons&ref=nb_sb_noss
