Anselm Hollo
Encyclopedia
Anselm Paul Alexis Hollo (born April 12, 1934 in Helsinki
) is a Finnish poet and translator. He has lived in the United States since 1967.
(1885–1967) — who liked to be known as "J. A." Hollo — was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Helsinki
, an essayist, and a major translator of literature into Finnish. His mother was Iris Antonina Anna Walden, a music teacher and daughter of organic chemist Paul Walden
. He lived for eight years in the United Kingdom producing three children: Hannes, Kaarina, and Tamsin, with his first wife, poet Josephine Clare. He has been a permanent resident in the United States since the late 1960s, and now lives in Boulder, Colorado
with his wife, artist Jane Dalrymple-Hollo.
He has published more than forty titles of poetry in the UK and in the US, in a style strongly influenced by the American beat poets.
In 1965, he performed at the "underground
" International Poetry Incarnation
, London. In 2001, poets and critics associated with the SUNY
Buffalo POETICS list
elected Hollo to the honorary position of "anti-laureate", in protest at the appointment of Billy Collins
to the position of Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
.
Hollo has translated poetry
and belles-lettres
from Finnish, German, Swedish and French into English. He was one of the early translators of Allen Ginsberg into German and Finnish.
He has taught creative writing
in eighteen different institutions of higher learning, including SUNY Buffalo, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and the University of Colorado at Boulder
. Since 1989, he has taught in the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University
, where he now holds the rank of Full Professor.
Several of his poems have been set into music by pianist and composer Frank Carlberg.
Poets Ted Berrigan
and Alice Notley
named their son Anselm Berrigan
after Hollo.
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
) is a Finnish poet and translator. He has lived in the United States since 1967.
Life and work
Paavo Anselm Aleksis Hollo was born in Finland. His father, Juho Aukusti HolloJuho Aukusti Hollo
Juho Aukusti Hollo was professor at the University of Helsinki from 1930 to 1954.He was one of the most prolific translators into Finnish, translating a range of genres and from several languages. He himself said in 1953 that he had translated 170 books; some sources list over 300...
(1885–1967) — who liked to be known as "J. A." Hollo — was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
, an essayist, and a major translator of literature into Finnish. His mother was Iris Antonina Anna Walden, a music teacher and daughter of organic chemist Paul Walden
Paul Walden
Paul Walden was a Latvian-German chemist known for his work in stereochemistry and history of chemistry. In particular he invented the stereochemical reaction known as Walden inversion and synthesized the first room-temperature ionic liquid, ethylammonium nitrate.-Early years:Walden was born in...
. He lived for eight years in the United Kingdom producing three children: Hannes, Kaarina, and Tamsin, with his first wife, poet Josephine Clare. He has been a permanent resident in the United States since the late 1960s, and now lives in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
with his wife, artist Jane Dalrymple-Hollo.
He has published more than forty titles of poetry in the UK and in the US, in a style strongly influenced by the American beat poets.
In 1965, he performed at the "underground
UK underground
The Underground was a countercultural movement in the United Kingdom linked to the underground culture in the United States and associated with the hippie phenomenon. Its primary focus was around Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill in London...
" International Poetry Incarnation
International Poetry Incarnation
The International Poetry Incarnation was an event at the Royal Albert Hall in Londonon June 11, 1965.In May, 1965, Allen Ginsberg arrived at Better Books, London, and offered to read anywhere for free....
, London. In 2001, poets and critics associated with the SUNY
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
Buffalo POETICS list
POETICS list
The University of Buffalo POETICS listserv is one of the oldest and most widely known mailing lists devoted to the discussion of contemporary North American poetry and poetics. It began on 8 December 1993, although the most easily accessible archive only contains messages from after the middle of...
elected Hollo to the honorary position of "anti-laureate", in protest at the appointment of Billy Collins
Billy Collins
Billy Collins is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York and is the Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Winter Park Institute, Florida...
to the position of Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate—serves as the nation's official poet. During his or her term, the Poet Laureate seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of...
.
Hollo has translated poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and belles-lettres
Belles-lettres
Belles-lettres or belles lettres is a term that is used to describe a category of writing. A writer of belles-lettres is a belletrist. However, the boundaries of that category vary in different usages....
from Finnish, German, Swedish and French into English. He was one of the early translators of Allen Ginsberg into German and Finnish.
He has taught creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
in eighteen different institutions of higher learning, including SUNY Buffalo, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. Since 1989, he has taught in the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University
Naropa University
Naropa University is a private American liberal arts university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher and Oxford University scholar Chögyam Trungpa, it is named for the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda.Naropa describes itself as...
, where he now holds the rank of Full Professor.
Several of his poems have been set into music by pianist and composer Frank Carlberg.
Poets Ted Berrigan
Ted Berrigan
-Early life:Berrigan was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 15, 1934. After high school, he spent a year at Providence College before joining the U.S. Army in 1954 to serve in the Korean War. After three years in the Army, he finished his college studies at the University of Tulsa in...
and Alice Notley
Alice Notley
Alice Notley is an American poet. She was born in Bisbee, Arizona and grew up in Needles, California. She received a B.A. from Barnard College in 1967 and an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1969. She married poet Ted Berrigan in 1972, with whom she was active in...
named their son Anselm Berrigan
Anselm Berrigan
Anselm Berrigan is a poet and teacher. He grew up in New York City, where he currently resides with his wife, poet Karen Weiser. From 2003 to 2007, he served as artistic director at the St. Mark's Poetry Project...
after Hollo.
Awards
- 2004 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award.
- 2001 best book of poems Award by the San Francisco Poetry Center, for Notes on the Possibilities and Attractions of Existence: New and Selected Poems 1965–2000.
- 1996 Government of Finland's Distinguished Foreign Translator's Award
- 1996 Gertrude Stein Award in Innovative American Poetry 1995-1996
- 1979 NEANational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
and Poets Foundation fellowships
Selected publications
- Alembic Trigram Press (1972)
- Finite Continued, Blue Wind Press, (1980) (ISBN 0-912652-68-3)
External links
- The Anti-Laureate Announcement
- Poems online at Samizdat (poetry magazine)Samizdat (poetry magazine)Samizdat was an international poetry magazine published in Chicago from 1998 until 2004 and edited by the poet Robert Archambeau. It was noted for its unusual format, being printed on large newsprint pages. Contributors included Adam Zagajewski as well as Clayton Eshleman, Pierre Joris, Jerome...
- "Add-Verse" a poetry-photo-video project Hollo participated in