born March 1, 1921, New York, N.Y., U.S.
U.S. poet, critic, editor, and translator.
He studied literature at Harvard University and established himself as an important young poet with the collections The Beautiful Changes (1947) and Ceremony (1950). His urbane, well-crafted verse later appeared in volumes such as Things of This World (1956, Pulitzer Prize), Walking to Sleep (1969), and The Mind Reader (1976). He also translated plays (notably those of Molière ) and wrote criticism and children's books. He served as U.S. poet laureate in 1987–88.