Terrence Des Pres
Encyclopedia
Terrence Des Pres was an American writer, and Holocaust scholar.
He went on to complete graduate degrees in philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis.
He spent time with John Nathan
at Harvard University
as Harvard Junior Fellows, where Des Pres was the society's sommelier
and they formed a friendship.
He was married twice and had a son, Jean-Paul, with his first wife Judith. His widow, Liz, is now a physician living in the Boston area.
At Colgate University
he taught "Literature of the Holocaust" and was the William Henry Crawshaw Chair in Literature. At Colgate, he spent time with writer Frederick Busch
.
He wrote Praises and Dispraises, published posthumously in 1988, which dealt with poetry and its usefulness for survival.
's memoir, Des Pres committed suicide
on November 16, 1987. Des Pres' death was ruled "accidental"
by the Madison county medical examiners office, Madison, NY. According to a 1990 Boston Globe article, Des Pres died by hanging
.
After his death, poet Paul Mariani
spoke at a service for Des Pres at Colgate, where they may have spent time together as Mariani worked on his masters degree.
Life
Terrence Des Pres graduated from Southeast Missouri State College in 1962.He went on to complete graduate degrees in philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis.
He spent time with John Nathan
John Nathan
John Nathan is the translator of Japanese works written by celebrated authors such as Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburō Ōe. Nathan is also an Emmy-award winning producer, writer and director of many films about Japanese culture and society and American business.He studied at University of Tokyo...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as Harvard Junior Fellows, where Des Pres was the society's sommelier
Sommelier
A sommelier , or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching...
and they formed a friendship.
He was married twice and had a son, Jean-Paul, with his first wife Judith. His widow, Liz, is now a physician living in the Boston area.
Work
Des Pres is most well known for his work on the Holocaust documented in: The Survivor: An Anatomy of Life in the Death Camps.At Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
he taught "Literature of the Holocaust" and was the William Henry Crawshaw Chair in Literature. At Colgate, he spent time with writer Frederick Busch
Frederick Busch
Frederick Busch was an American writer. Busch was a master of the short story and one of America’s most prolific writers of fiction long and short....
.
He wrote Praises and Dispraises, published posthumously in 1988, which dealt with poetry and its usefulness for survival.
Death
According to John NathanJohn Nathan
John Nathan is the translator of Japanese works written by celebrated authors such as Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburō Ōe. Nathan is also an Emmy-award winning producer, writer and director of many films about Japanese culture and society and American business.He studied at University of Tokyo...
's memoir, Des Pres committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on November 16, 1987. Des Pres' death was ruled "accidental"
Erotic asphyxiation
Erotic asphyxiation or breath control play is the intentional restriction of oxygen to the brain for sexual arousal. The sexual preference for that behavior is variously called asphyxiophilia, autoerotic asphyxia, hypoxyphilia. Colloquially, a person engaging in the activity is sometimes called a...
by the Madison county medical examiners office, Madison, NY. According to a 1990 Boston Globe article, Des Pres died by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
.
After his death, poet Paul Mariani
Paul Mariani
Paul Mariani is an American poet and a professor at Boston College. He grew up on Long Island, the eldest of seven children...
spoke at a service for Des Pres at Colgate, where they may have spent time together as Mariani worked on his masters degree.
See also
- List of Harvard Junior Fellows
- Carolyn ForchéCarolyn ForchéCarolyn Forché is an American poet, editor, translator, and human rights advocate.-Life:Forché was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 28, 1950, to Michael Joseph and Louise Nada Blackford Sidlosky. Forché earned a B.A...
, who was influenced by Des Pres, and organized the "Genocide and Memory" conference in 1997, where Des Pres was remembered - Peter BalakianPeter BalakianPeter Balakian is a poet, writer and academic, the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of Humanities at Colgate University.- Life :...
, poet and Colgate professor, also organized the 1997 "Genocide and Memory conference. In addition to their Colgate connection, Balakian is of Armenian descent, and Des Pres' work with survival literature included the Armenian GenocideArmenian GenocideThe Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
. - Paul MarianiPaul MarianiPaul Mariani is an American poet and a professor at Boston College. He grew up on Long Island, the eldest of seven children...
, poet, wrote the introduction to Des Pres' collection of essays "Writing Into the World" - Geoffrey HartmanGeoffrey HartmanGeoffrey H. Hartman is a German-born American literary theorist, sometimes identified with the Yale School of deconstruction, but also has written on a wide range of subjects, and cannot be categorized by a single school or method.-Biography:...
, professor at Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, had interviewed Des Pres and presented a video of it at the "Genocide and Memory" conference along with a paper.
Sources
- "Living Carelessly in Tokyo and Elsewhere", John Nathan, New York: Free Press. 2008. pp. 125-126.
- article on Des Pres by Frederick Busch
- Book Review on Des Pres' Praises and Dispraises
- Frederick Busch's obituary
- "REMEMBERING TERRENCE DES PRES", The Colgate Scene, January 1997
- Colgate University Crawshaw Chair
- Jean-Paul Des Pres article mentioning his father
- "Genocide and Memory" conference
- "The Holocaust and the Demon in us All," David Mehegan, The Boston Globe, December 27, 1990.