E.E. Cummings Overview

The English language has been forced to jump through many hoops over the past century. One of the most delightful ringmasters in the circus was the American poet, novelist, and painter E.E. Cummings. His lowercased name can scarcely prepare the reader... [more]

The English language has been forced to jump through many hoops over the past century. One of the most delightful ringmasters in the circus was the American poet, novelist, and painter E.E. Cummings. His lowercased name can scarcely prepare the reader for the punctuational and syntactical oddities found in the pages of his works (although rumor has it that the author's literary estate will shortly reverse his graphical practice, returning the capitals). The man who would inspire hordes of Language poets several decades down the line was born Edward Estlin Cummings in 1894. He attended Harvard University, where he studied literature and began to produce his own. During World War I, Cummings volunteered for the Ambulance Corps in France; soon, however, his letters criticizing the French authorities proved (to the offended parties) that he was better off behind bars. "The Enormous Room" (1922), Cummings' only novel, records his experiences in a wartime French prison. When he returned to the United States, Cummings embarked in earnest on what was to be a long and starry artistic career. His poetry, always technically masterful and linguistically fresh, is no less challenging in its content: Cummings wrote frankly and humorously on the inexhaustible topic of sexuality, and his political satires are trenchant and well-aimed. Whether quips or a lover's whispers, Cummings' lines are sensitive, irreverent, and glorious. He died, famous, in 1962. [show less]