Robinson Jeffers

Robinson Jeffers
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Name	Robinson Jeffers
Birth date	January 10, 1887
Birth place	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Death date	January 20, 1962
Death place	Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Occupation	Poet
Nationality	American
Period	Modernism
Genre	Poetry
Notableworks	Tamar, Roan Stallion, Cawdor

Robinson Jeffers was an American poet known for his unique and powerful style, which often explored the relationship between humanity and the natural world, as seen in the works of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. His poetry was heavily influenced by his love of California and the Big Sur coastline, where he lived for many years, and by the works of Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer. Jeffers' poetry also reflects his interest in mythology and classics, particularly the works of Homer and Sophocles. He was a contemporary of poets such as T.S. Eliot and Wallace Stevens, and his work was often compared to that of William Butler Yeats and Dylan Thomas.

● Life and Career

Robinson Jeffers was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and spent his early years in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, before moving to California with his family, where he developed a deep love for the Pacific Coast and the Santa Lucia Mountains. He attended Occidental College and later University of Southern California, where he studied literature and philosophy, and was influenced by the works of Aristotle and Immanuel Kant. Jeffers' early career as a poet was marked by the publication of his first book, Flagons and Apples, which was followed by Californians, and he soon became known for his unique style, which blended elements of modernism and romanticism, as seen in the works of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. He was a member of the Bohemian Club and was friends with writers such as Sinclair Lewis and Upton Sinclair, and was also influenced by the works of Mark Twain and Jack London.

● Poetry and Style

Robinson Jeffers' poetry is characterized by its use of free verse and its emphasis on the natural world, as seen in the works of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems often explore the relationship between humanity and the environment, and he was particularly interested in the coastal landscape of Big Sur, which he often described in his poetry, using imagery reminiscent of J.M.W. Turner and Caspar David Friedrich. Jeffers' style was also influenced by his love of classics and mythology, and he often incorporated elements of Greek mythology and Norse mythology into his poetry, as seen in the works of Robert Graves and James Joyce. He was a contemporary of poets such as Edna St. Vincent Millay and Langston Hughes, and his work was often compared to that of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

● Major Works

Some of Robinson Jeffers' most notable works include Tamar, Roan Stallion, and Cawdor, which are considered some of the greatest poems of the 20th century, and are often compared to the works of Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams. These poems showcase Jeffers' unique style and his ability to explore complex themes and ideas, such as the relationship between humanity and the natural world, and the search for meaning and purpose in life, as seen in the works of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Jeffers also wrote several plays, including The Tower Beyond Tragedy, which was influenced by the works of Aeschylus and Euripides, and he was a prolific writer, publishing numerous collections of poetry throughout his career, including Dear Judas and Be Angry at the Sun, which were influenced by the works of D.H. Lawrence and T.E. Lawrence.

● Philosophy and Influences

Robinson Jeffers' philosophy was heavily influenced by his love of nature and his belief in the importance of living in harmony with the environment, as seen in the works of Henry David Thoreau and John Muir. He was also influenced by the works of Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer, and his poetry often explores themes of existentialism and pessimism, as seen in the works of Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre. Jeffers was a contemporary of philosophers such as Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein, and his work was often compared to that of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Hegel. He was also influenced by the works of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, and his poetry often explores themes of psychology and human nature, as seen in the works of Erich Fromm and Karen Horney.

● Legacy and Criticism

Robinson Jeffers' legacy as a poet is complex and multifaceted, and his work has been both praised and criticized by scholars and critics, including T.S. Eliot and Wallace Stevens. Some have praised his unique style and his ability to explore complex themes and ideas, while others have criticized his pessimism and his perceived misogyny, as seen in the works of Andrea Dworkin and Betty Friedan. Despite these criticisms, Jeffers remains one of the most important and influential poets of the 20th century, and his work continues to be widely read and studied, alongside the works of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. He is often compared to other poets such as William Butler Yeats and Dylan Thomas, and his poetry has been translated into numerous languages, including French, Spanish, and German, and has been influenced by the works of Baudelaire and Rimbaud. Category:American poets