Rolfe Humphries
Encyclopedia
George Rolfe Humphries was a poet
, translator, and teacher.
in 1915. He was a first lieutenant machine gunner in World War I
, from 1917-1918. In 1925 he married Helen Ward Spencer.
He taught Latin in secondary schools in San Francisco, New York City
, and Long Island through 1957. From 1957 to 1965, he taught at Amherst College
.
He taught at many poetry and creative writing workshops, including the University of New Hampshire
Writers' Conference and the University of Colorado
Writers' Conference.
He was a mentor to many poets, including Theodore Roethke
. Among his literary friendships were those with Louise Bogan
, Edmund Wilson
, and Elizabeth Bishop
.
His work appeared in Harper's, The New Yorker,
His papers are held at Amherst College.
He is known for a notorious literary prank. Asked to contribute a piece to Poetry
in 1939, he penned 39 lines containing an acrostic
. The first letters of each line spelled out the message: "Nicholas Murray Butler is a horses ass." The editor printed an apology and Humphries was banned from the publication. The ban was lifted in 1941.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, translator, and teacher.
Life
He attended Towanda High School, and graduated cum laude from Amherst CollegeAmherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1915. He was a first lieutenant machine gunner in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, from 1917-1918. In 1925 he married Helen Ward Spencer.
He taught Latin in secondary schools in San Francisco, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Long Island through 1957. From 1957 to 1965, he taught at Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
.
He taught at many poetry and creative writing workshops, including the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
Writers' Conference and the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
Writers' Conference.
He was a mentor to many poets, including Theodore Roethke
Theodore Roethke
Theodore Roethke was an American poet, who published several volumes of poetry characterized by its rhythm, rhyming, and natural imagery. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1954 for his book, The Waking.-Biography:...
. Among his literary friendships were those with Louise Bogan
Louise Bogan
Louise Bogan was an American poet. She was appointed the fourth Poet Laureate to the Library of Congress in 1945.-Early years:...
, Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson was an American writer and literary and social critic and noted man of letters.-Early life:Wilson was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father, Edmund Wilson, Sr., was a lawyer and served as New Jersey Attorney General. Wilson attended The Hill School, a college preparatory...
, and Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short-story writer. She was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1956 and a National Book Award Winner for Poetry in 1970. Elizabeth Bishop House is an artists' retreat in Great Village, Nova Scotia...
.
His work appeared in Harper's, The New Yorker,
His papers are held at Amherst College.
He is known for a notorious literary prank. Asked to contribute a piece to Poetry
Poetry (magazine)
Poetry , published in Chicago, Illinois since 1912, is one of the leading monthly poetry journals in the English-speaking world. Published by the Poetry Foundation and currently edited by Christian Wiman, the magazine has a circulation of 30,000 and prints 300 poems per year out of approximately...
in 1939, he penned 39 lines containing an acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
. The first letters of each line spelled out the message: "Nicholas Murray Butler is a horses ass." The editor printed an apology and Humphries was banned from the publication. The ban was lifted in 1941.
Awards
- 1938 Guggenheim Fellow in creative writing
- 1955 Academy of American Poets' Fellowship