William Carlos Williams was a late 19th-century to 20th-century prominent figure in American poetry. Williams was a poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, and medical professional who had a great influence on some of the talented younger poets who came after.
He is considered by many to be one of the co-founders of the Imagist movement, alongside Ezra Pound and H.D., or Hilda Doolittle. The subject matter surrounding the American experience and elements such as clarity and concrete imagery were present in his writing.
His lifelong work in medicine separated him from his peers and added a unique perspective to his writing. He wrote short stories, plays, novels, essays, and translations. It was a career full of accolades, with the highest honor of a Pulitzer Prize in 1963. However, Williams’s health became an issue in his later life.
Early Life
Born on September 17, 1883, in Rutherford, New Jersey, William Carlos Williams’ early life merged two cultures. Growing up in a Puerto Rican and Dominican family, Williams was introduced to Caribbean culture. His father, William George Williams, was originally born in England but would grow up in the Dominican Republic from the age of five. His mother is of mixed descent but came from Puerto Rico. Raquel Hélène Hoheb originated from Mayagüez and has a family with French roots. Due to this, Williams would begin to grasp both the English and Spanish language with proficiency, with Spanish being his first language.
Williams had an early life surrounded by art and literature, with both of his parents having creative outlets. His mother painted, while his father had a passion for iconic poetry from the likes of William Shakespeare and Dante. Maybe his career path was destined with his grandmother sharing the same name as Emily Dickinson.
Education
Through primary and the majority of his secondary education, William Carlos Williams remained in his hometown of Rutherford but would move on soon after, creating an interesting educational timeline. After his early schooling, in 1897, he traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to continue his development. This move would expose Williams further to European Culture at an early age. After his spell in Geneva, Williams moved to Paris, where he joined the prestigious Lycée Condorcet school. Paul Verlaine, Henri Bergson, and Marcel Proust were some of the most well-known alumni.
In 1902, Williams progressed to medical school in Pennsylvania after attending the Horace Mann High School when he arrived in New York. He was admitted to the University of Pennsylvania after taking an examination exclusive to a select group. He passed with flying colors. After staying for four years, Williams gained his M.D. qualification and went straight into his medical career.
During his time at University, a young poet came onto Williams’ radar. None other than the Imagist icon, Ezra Pound. He was one of the principal poets of the Imagist Movement. They would become close and acted as inspiration for each other. Williams would see Pound as a mentor of sorts and would be a turning point in his career.
His first meeting with Ezra Pound would go on to be one of the most influential in his life.
Literary Career
His and Ezra’s friendship and collaborative relationship would carry on long after Williams’ graduation in 1906. It was three years later, in 1909, that Williams published his first book of poetry entitled Poems. His medical interest remained as he threw himself into a number of internships at the French Hospital and Child’s Hospital in New York. Like most of his early life, he didn’t stay still for long, setting his sights on the study of advanced pediatrics in Leipzig, Germany.
A few years later, in 1912, he married Florence Herman. Together, they moved back to Williams’ hometown of Rutherford. Within five years, Florence gave birth to their sons William E. Williams and Paul H. Williams. In 1913, with the assistance of Ezra Pound, Williams published his second collection, The Tempers. The move back to Rutherford created an element of stability from which he would build his career. Williams published in small magazines during this time, gaining momentum.
During the 1920s, Williams caused some upheaval within his literary circle by breaking away from the Imagist movement. Even those whom he grew with, such as Ezra Pound and Hilda Doolittle, gave their opinion on Williams’ works, claiming that his writing was not as congruent as it could be. However, Williams used this criticism as fuel. From his point of view, the work of Pound and T.S. Eliot had started to veer away from what he believed in. In 1923, the critically acclaimed poem ‘Spring and All,’ which focused on elements of nature, was published.
From 1946 to 1958, Williams would publish one of his most important works in his five-volume epic ‘Paterson.’ Although Williams began working on ‘Paterson‘ in the early 1920s, he did not publish the first volume until 1946. The collection is full of references to Paterson’s history, geography, and culture.
By breaking away from the Imagist movement, Williams would define a unique style. He would go on to live a surprisingly conventional life, unlike many of his Modernist peers.
Later Life
William Carlos Williams noticeably explored new directions in his work from the 1930s onwards. Rather than focusing on the positive aspects of the world, his work went down a darker path, with more of an emphasis on the world’s underbelly. This could have been linked to a building of depression. During this period, Williams also began working on an opera titled The First President, which focused on George Washington’s influence on the United States. His involvement in his medical practice did not waiver, maintaining a role as a family doctor.
In 1949, Williams won the first National Book Award for poetry and was named Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1952. Accolades would continue to flow into Williams’ life as he won several awards for his works.
Awards
1950 National Book Award for Poetry – Paterson, Volume 3
1952 Bollingen Prize
1963 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry – Brueghel and Other Poems
1963 Gold Medal for Poetry
Unfortunately, health issues would become a significant element of his later life. In quick succession, Williams faced a heart attack and a series of significant strokes in 1948 and 1949, respectively. Hillside Hospital in New York became a temporary home for him in 1953. He was forced to spend four months there due to a depressive episode as a consequence of this series of strokes. Ten years later, in 1963, Williams would pass away. His last days in March of that year were spent at his home in Rutherford. Lyndhurst, New Jersey, would be his final resting place.
Famous Poems
- ‘The Red Wheelbarrow‘ – ‘The Red Wheelbarrow’ by William Carlos Williams depicts, in very simple language, a red wheelbarrow outside in the rain. This poem is a quintessential example of William Carlos Williams’ poetry, as it exemplifies many of the themes and techniques that define his work.
- ‘This Is Just to Say‘ – ‘This is Just to Say’ by William Carlos Williams contains a speaker’s apology to the listener for going into the fridge and eating plums.
- ‘Spring and All‘ – ‘Spring and All’ by William Carlos Williams describes a desolate and dying landscape that borders a road and leads to a “contagious hospital.”
- ‘The Young Housewife‘ – ‘The Young Housewife’ by William Carlos Williams is a short poem that intimately envisions a few moments in the life of a lonely woman confined to her home. This poem by William Carlos Williams is emblematic of the clarity and suggestiveness of his poetry.
- ‘Perfection‘ – ‘The Young Housewife’ by William Carlos Williams is a short poem that intimately envisions a few moments in the life of a lonely woman confined to her home. This poem by William Carlos Williams is emblematic of the clarity and suggestiveness of his poetry.
Influences
William Carlos Williams’ influence was far-reaching, and his prolific career was one of admiration for many. The poets of the 1950s and 1960s took particular interest in his work. Allen Ginsberg and a number of other writers involved in the Beat Generation movement of the time have accredited Williams as an inspiration. In particular, the accessibility of his language resonated with them. Some of the other names who saw value in his writings include Lowell, Charles Olson, Denise Levertov, Robert Creeley, and Cid Corman.
FAQs
William Carlos Williams is best known for his Imagist poetry, which is characterized by its simplicity, clarity, and focus on the everyday. His poems often celebrate the beauty and importance of ordinary objects and experiences.
Williams was influenced by the work of other Imagist poets such as Ezra Pound and Hilda Doolittle. He was also interested in American history and culture, and he often drew on his own experiences as a doctor and a resident of New Jersey in his poems.
William Carlos Williams’ poetry experimented with different poetic rhythms and structures, and he often used everyday speech patterns in his poems. He utilized short lines and simple language to create a sense of immediacy and intimacy in his poems. He was also interested in the musicality of language, flirting with different poetic rhythms and structures.
One of Williams’s most famous poems is ‘The Red Wheelbarrow,’ which was first published in 1923. The poem is a simple description of a red wheelbarrow and some white chickens, but it has been interpreted as a celebration of the beauty and importance of everyday objects.
Williams published over 40 books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction during his lifetime. He also wrote numerous essays and articles.
