Conrad Potter Aiken

Bio

(1889-1973) Author, writer. Conrad Aiken lived in Manhattan, New York. His writings reveal a concern for the workings of the mind and for the evolution of personal identity. Aiken is best known for his poetry, which is often preoccupied with the sound and structure of music; his volumes of verse include “The Charnel Rose” (1918), “Selected Poems” (1929; Pulitzer Prize), “Brownstone Eclogues” (1942), “Collected Poems” (1953), “A Letter from Li Po” (1956), “A Seizure of Limericks” (1964), and “The Clerk’s Journal” (1971). In 1924, he edited Emily Dickinson’s “Selected Poems” which helped to establish her literary reputation. Aiken’s interest in psychopathology is evident in the novels “Blue Voyage” (1927) and “Great Circle” (1933). His collected critical essays, “A Reviewer’s ABCs” appeared in 1958, his collected short stories, including “Mr. Arcularis” and “Silent Snow, Secret Snow,” in 1961. From 1950 to 1952, Aiken held the poetry chair at the Library of Congress. In 1969 he was awarded the National Medal for Literature.