John Ciardi

John Ciardi
Born	(1916-06-24)June 24, 1916 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	March 30, 1986(1986-03-30) (aged 69) Metuchen, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Poet teacher etymologist translator
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Bates College Tufts University (transferred) University of Michigan
Genre	Poet, etymologist
Notable works	La Divina Commedia translation
Notable awards	Hopwood Award
Spouse	Judith Hostetter[1]
Children	Three[2]

John Anthony Ciardi (/ˈtʃɑːrdi/ CHAR-dee; Italian: [ˈtʃardi]; June 24, 1916 – March 30, 1986) was an American poet, translator, and etymologist. While primarily known as a poet and translator of Dante's Divine Comedy, he also wrote several volumes of children's poetry, pursued etymology, contributed to the Saturday Review as a columnist and long-time poetry editor, directed the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in Vermont, and recorded commentaries for National Public Radio.

In 1959, Ciardi published a book on how to read, write, and teach poetry, How Does a Poem Mean?, which has proven to be among the most-used books of its kind. At the peak of his popularity in the early 1960s, Ciardi also had a network television program on CBS, Accent. Ciardi's impact on poetry is perhaps best measured through the younger poets whom he influenced as a teacher and as editor of the Saturday Review.^[3]