Henri Cole

Henri Cole
Born	(1956-05-09) May 9, 1956 (age 68) Fukuoka, Japan
Education	College of William and Mary (BA) University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (MA) Columbia University (MFA)
Occupation	Poet

Henri Cole (born 1956) is an American poet, who has published many collections of poetry and a memoir. His books have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Arabic.

Biography

Henri Cole was born in Fukuoka, Japan, to an American father and French-Armenian ^[1] mother, and raised in Virginia, United States. His father, a North Carolinian, enlisted in the service after graduating from high school and, while stationed in Marseilles, met Cole's mother, who worked at the PX. Together they lived in Japan, Germany, Illinois, California, Nevada, Missouri and Virginia, where Cole attended public schools and the College of William and Mary. He has published eleven collections of poetry in English.

From 1982 until 1988 he was executive director of The Academy of American Poets. ^[2] Since that time he has held many teaching positions and been artist-in-residence at various institutions, including Brandeis University, Columbia University, Davidson College, Harvard University, Ohio State University, Reed College, Smith College, The College of William and Mary, and Yale University. He has collaborated with the visual artists Jenny Holzer and Kiki Smith. ^[3] And from 2010 to 2014, he was poetry editor of The New Republic. Cole currently teaches at Claremont McKenna College.

Books of poetry

• 2023: Gravity and Center (Selected Sonnets, 1994-2022), New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
• 2023: Blizzard (German translation by Henning Ahrens), Munich: Hanser Verlag, Edition Lyrik Kabinett
• 2021: Der sichtbare Mensch, Ausgewählte Gedicht (German translation by Hans Raimund), Vienna: Löcker
• 2020: Blizzard, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux ^[4]
• 2015: Nothing to Declare, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux ^[5]
• 2015: Le Merle, Le Loup suivi de Toucher (French translation by Claire Malroux), Paris: Le bruit du temps ^[6]
• 2011: Touch, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux ^[7]
• 2011: Terre Médiane (French translation by Claire Malroux), Paris: Le bruit du temps ^[8]
• 2010: Mirlo y Lobo (Spanish translation by Eduardo López Truco), Cantabria: Quálea Editorial ^[9]
• 2010: Autoritratto con Gatti (Italian translation by Massimo Bacigalupo), Parma: Guanda Editore ^[10]
• 2010: Pierce the Skin (Selected Poems, 1982-2007), New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux ^[11]
• 2008: La Apariencia de la Cosas (Spanish translation by Eduardo López Truco), Cantabria: Quálea Editorial ^[12]
• 2007: Blackbird and Wolf, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux ^[13]
• 2005: Vingt-Deux Poèmes (French translation by Claire Malroux), Paris: Yvon Lambert ^[14]
• 2003: Middle Earth, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux ^[15]
• 1998: The Visible Man, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux ^[16]
• 1995: The Look of Things ^[17]
• 1989: The Zoo Wheel of Knowledge ^[18]
• 1986: The Marble Queen ^[19]

Books of prose

• 2020: باريس الأورفيّة: السّياحة الأدبية في باريس (Orphic Paris, Arabic translation by Amani Lazar), United Arab Emirates: Rewayat Books ^[20]
• 2018: Orphic Paris, New York, New York Review Books ^[21]
• 2018: Paris-Orphée (French translation by Claire Malroux), Paris: Le bruit du temps ^[22]

Awards and honors

• 2021 — James Merrill House, Writer-in-Residence
• 2017 — American Academy of Arts and Letters, Elected Member
• 2016 — American Academy of Arts and Letters, Award of Merit Medal in Poetry ^[23]
• 2014 — Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, Fellow ^[24]
• 2012 — The Thom Gunn Award for Poetry for Touch, ^[25] Publishing Triangle
• 2012 — The Jackson Poetry Prize for Touch, Poets & Writers ^[26]
• 2011 — Harvard University Phi Beta Kappa poet ^[27]
• 2011 — Finalist, Los Angeles Times Book Award in Poetry for Pierce the Skin (Selected Poems 1982-2007) ^[28]
• 2010 — American Academy of Arts & Sciences, elected member ^[29]
• 2009 — Sara Teasdale Award in Poetry, Wellesley College
• 2009 — National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship
• 2008 — Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize for Blackbird and Wolf, Academy of American Poets ^[30]
• 2008 — Ambassador Book Award in Poetry for Blackbird and Wolf, English-Speaking Union of the United States ^[31]
• 2008 — Massachusetts Book Award in Poetry for Blackbird and Wolf ^[32]
• 2008 — Lambda Literary Award in Poetry for Blackbird and Wolf ^[33]
• 2007 — United States Artists USA Hildreth/Williams Fellow, Literature ^[34]
• 2004 — Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for Middle Earth ^[35]
• 2004 — John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship ^[36]
• 2004 — Award in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters ^[37]
• 2004 — Finalist, Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for Middle Earth ^[38]
• 2004 — Finalist, Los Angeles Times Book Award in Poetry for Middle Earth ^[39]
• 2004 — Massachusetts Book Award in Poetry for Middle Earth ^[40]
• 2001 — Japan-United States Friendship Commission, Creative Artist Fellowship ^[41]
• 2000 — Berlin Prize, American Academy in Berlin ^[42]
• 1995 — Rome Prize in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters ^[43]
• 1993 — National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship ^[44]
• 1989 — Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship ^[45]
• 1985 — Ingram Merrill Foundation Award (also 1990) ^[46]

Personal life

Cole is openly gay, though in his early work he turned to "nature as a mask for writing about private feelings." ^[47] He came out as he "felt a need to speak as a gay man, since until recently we were not encouraged by society to love one another, marry, and have children. So if I have an ethics, it is simply to be true, but never at the expense of original language." ^[48]

References

1. Lydon, Christopher (December 2009). "Out of Yearning, Order: Henri Cole's poetry". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
2. "About Henri Cole | Academy of American Poets".
3. "Jenny Holzer collaborations". art21.org. Art21. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
4. "Blizzard". Macmillan. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
5. "Nothing to Declare". Macmillan. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
6. "Le Merle, Le Loup". Le bruit du temps. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
7. "Touch". Macmillan. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
8. "Terre Mediane". Le bruit du temps. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
9. "Mirlo y Lobo". Culturamas. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
10. "Autoitratto con Gatti". Guanda Editore. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
11. "Pierce the Skin". Macmillan. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
12. "La Apariencia de la Cosas". Casa del Libro. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
13. "Blackbird and Wolf". Macmillan. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
14. "Vingt-Deux Poems". lesoressesdureel.com. Les presses du reel. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
15. "Middle Earth". Macmillan. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
16. "The Visible Man". Macmillan. Archived from the original on 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
17. Cole, Henri (1995). The Look of Things. A.A. Knopf. ISBN   067943352X.
18. "The Zoo Wheel of Knowledge". goodreads.com. Good Reads. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
19. "The Marble Queen". goodreads.com. Good Reads. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
20. "Orphic Paris" . Retrieved 20 April 2020.
21. "Orphic Paris". New York Review Books. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
22. "Paris-Orphée". Le bruit du temps. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
23. "American Academy of Arts and Letters" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Letters. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
24. "Fellow". Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
25. ""Publishing Triangle Winners Unveiled", GalleyCat, 04/20/2012".
26. "Jackson Poetry Prize". Poets & Writers. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
27. "Phi Beta Kappa Poet". Harvard Magazine. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
28. "LA Times Book Award". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
29. "Academy of Arts and Sciences" (PDF). amacad.org. American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
30. "Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize". poets.org. Academy of American Poets. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
31. Ambassador Book Award
32. "Massachusetts Book Award". yumpu.com. Massachusetts Center for the Book. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
33. "Lambda Literary Award". lambdaliterary.org. Lambda Literary Awards. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
34. "United States Artists Fellowship". unitedstatesartists.org. United States Artists. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
35. Hennessy, Christopher (May 2005). "An Interview by Christopher Hennessy". American Poetry Review. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
36. "Guggenheim Fellowship". gf.org. John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.
37. "Award in Literature". artsandletters.org. American Academy of Arts and Letters. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
38. "Pulitzer". pulitzer.org. Pulitzer. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
39. "LA Times Book Award". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2015-09-22.
40. "Massachusetts Book Award". bpl.org. Boston Public Library. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
41. "Japan Fellowship". jusfc.gov. Japan-United States Friendship Commission. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
42. "Berlin Prize". americanacademy.de. American Academy in Berlin. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
43. "Rome Prize". The New York Times . 22 April 1995.
44. "NEA Fellowship" (PDF). arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts.
45. "Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship". amylowell.org. Choate, Hall & Stewart. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
46. Ingram Merrill Foundation
47. Weiss, Sasha (2014). "Henri Cole, The Art of Poetry No. 98". The Paris Review. Vol. Summer 2014, no. 209. ISSN   0031-2037 . Retrieved 2018-04-11.
48. Weiss, Interviewed by Sasha (2014). "The Art of Poetry No. 98". Vol. Summer 2014, no. 209. ISSN   0031-2037 . Retrieved 2022-10-19.

External links

• Official website
• Academy of American Poets -- Henri Cole's webpage
• THE NATION -- "The Art of Violent Concision"
• THE NEW REPUBLIC -- "Making a Soul"
• A personal essay: "How I Grew"
• An interview: "What is American about American poetry"
• "Henri Cole, The Art of Poetry, The Paris Review, Summer 2014, No. 98(with Sasha Weiss)".
• Twitter -- @colehenri
• Instagram -- @heronlice