Wallace Stevens

Date of Birth: October 2, 1879

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Date of Death: August 2, 1955

Biography

Wallace Stevens was an American modernist poet born on October 2, 1879, in Reading, Pennsylvania. Known for his complex and philosophical poetry, Stevens remains a significant figure in 20th-century literature. He attended Harvard University but did not graduate, later earning a law degree from New York Law School. Stevens worked as an insurance executive for the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company, a career that provided him the financial stability to pursue his passion for poetry. His first major collection, “Harmonium,” was published in 1923 and included some of his most famous poems like “The Emperor of Ice-Cream” and “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.” Over the years, Stevens continued to publish influential works, including “Ideas of Order” (1935), “The Man with the Blue Guitar” (1937), and “Transport to Summer” (1947). His later collection, “The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens,” won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1955. Stevens’ poetry often explores themes of imagination, reality, and the role of the artist in society. Despite his professional success in the insurance industry, he remained dedicated to his craft, producing some of the most intellectually stimulating poetry of his time.

5 Interesting Facts about Wallace Stevens

1. Wallace Stevens won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1955 for his collection “The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens.”

2. Despite being a successful poet, Stevens worked full-time as an insurance executive.

3. His poem “The Snow Man” is often cited as one of the greatest American poems of the 20th century.

4. Stevens’ work was initially met with mixed reviews but gained substantial critical acclaim later in his life.

5. He was known for his solitary lifestyle and rarely participated in the literary social scene.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Wallace Stevens

1. “The imagination is the power that enables us to perceive the normal in the abnormal.”

2. “Death is the mother of beauty; hence from her, alone, shall come fulfillment to our dreams and our desires.”

3. “In the world of words, the imagination is one of the forces of nature.”

4. “The poet is the priest of the invisible.”

5. “Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Wallace Stevens’ highest net worth was estimated to be around $500,000, which was substantial for a poet in his era, primarily due to his career in insurance.

Children

Wallace Stevens and his wife Elsie Kachel Stevens had one daughter, Holly Bright Stevens, born in 1924. She later managed her father’s literary estate.