Ezra Pound

Date of Birth: October 30, 1885

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Date of Death: November 1, 1972

Biography

Ezra Pound was an influential American poet and critic who was a major figure in the early modernist movement. Born on October 30, 1885, in Hailey, Idaho, Pound spent much of his early life in Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and later Hamilton College, where he developed his keen interest in languages and literature. Pound moved to Europe in 1908 and became a central figure in the literary communities of London, Paris, and later Italy. Pound’s early work was characterized by its break from Victorian traditions and its embrace of imagism, which emphasized clarity, precision, and economy of language. His most famous works include “Ripostes,” “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley,” and “The Cantos,” an epic poem that remained incomplete at his death. Pound was also a notable editor and mentor, helping to shape the careers of poets such as T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, and Robert Frost. During World War II, Pound made controversial radio broadcasts in Italy, which led to his arrest for treason by the United States. He was held in a U.S. military detention center in Pisa before being transferred to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he was confined for 12 years. Despite his controversial political views, Pound’s contributions to literature have been recognized as monumental.

5 Interesting Facts about Ezra Pound

1. Ezra Pound was instrumental in the development of modernist poetry, coining the term “imagism.”

2. He was a mentor to many prominent writers, including T.S. Eliot, whom he helped with the publication of “The Waste Land.”

3. Pound was arrested for treason in 1945 due to his pro-Fascist broadcasts during World War II.

4. He spent 12 years in St. Elizabeths Hospital, a psychiatric institution, after being deemed unfit to stand trial.

5. His epic poem, “The Cantos,” is considered one of the most significant achievements in modernist literature, despite its complexity and incompletion.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Ezra Pound

1. “Make it new.”

2. “Literature is news that stays news.”

3. “If a nation’s literature declines, the nation atrophies and decays.”

4. “Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree.”

5. “The artist is always beginning. Any work of art which is not a beginning, an invention, a discovery is of little worth.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Ezra Pound’s highest net worth is difficult to pinpoint due to historical records, but as a poet and literary figure, his wealth was modest compared to contemporary standards.

Children

Ezra Pound had two children: 1. Mary de Rachewiltz, born out of his relationship with Olga Rudge, is a poet and translator. 2. Omar Pound, born out of his marriage to Dorothy Shakespear, was a writer and teacher.