Jon Swan
Encyclopedia
Jon Swan is an American
poet
, playwright
, librettist, journalist
, and editor
. He studied at Oberlin College
, from which he graduated with a degree in English in 1950. In the 1950s, he taught at the Ecole d'Humanite in
Switzerland, worked for the American Friends Service Committee
, and received a Master's Degree in English from Boston University
. From 1956 to 1960, he was a fact checker and poetry reader at The New Yorker
. In 1962, he and Marianne Hamaker were married in Haarlem, the Netherlands. During the 1970s, he worked as a translator, from Dutch and German, and was senior editor at Saturday Review and, later, senior editor of the Columbia Journalism Review
. After retiring in 1994, he worked as an editor in Beijing and Kathmandu. As a free-lance journalist, he has written about environmental issues in the U.S. and Iceland. He was awarded a Rockefeller Grant for playwriting in 1968 and a Guggenheim Fellowship
for filmwriting in 1981.
Swan has published two collections of poems -- Journeys and Return and A Door to the Forest -- and a collection of one-act plays. Among the plays produced are Three Cheers for What's-its-Name (1968), Fireworks
(1969), Man In Space (1969), an adaptation of Aesop's Fables (1972), and Mostly Wolfgang (1991). In collaboration with Ulu Grosbard, Swan translated Peter Weiss
's Die Ermittlung
(The Investigation) into English for the work's premiere on Broadway
in 1966 and translated Heinrich von Kleist
's Der Zerbrochne Krug (The Broken Pitcher) for its New York premiere in 1981. He is also the author of the libretto of William Russo
's chamber opera
The Shepherds' Christmas (1988). Recently, in collaboration with Carl Weber, he completed a translation, of Peter Weiss's play Hölderlin, scheduled for publication in 2010.
Swan lives with his wife, Marianne, in the village of Clayton
in the town of New Marlborough, Massachusetts
. They have three daughters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, librettist, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
. He studied at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, from which he graduated with a degree in English in 1950. In the 1950s, he taught at the Ecole d'Humanite in
Switzerland, worked for the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
, and received a Master's Degree in English from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. From 1956 to 1960, he was a fact checker and poetry reader at The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. In 1962, he and Marianne Hamaker were married in Haarlem, the Netherlands. During the 1970s, he worked as a translator, from Dutch and German, and was senior editor at Saturday Review and, later, senior editor of the Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
. After retiring in 1994, he worked as an editor in Beijing and Kathmandu. As a free-lance journalist, he has written about environmental issues in the U.S. and Iceland. He was awarded a Rockefeller Grant for playwriting in 1968 and a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
for filmwriting in 1981.
Swan has published two collections of poems -- Journeys and Return and A Door to the Forest -- and a collection of one-act plays. Among the plays produced are Three Cheers for What's-its-Name (1968), Fireworks
Fireworks (play)
Fireworks is a set of three one-act plays about American life by Jon Swan. The set includes the plays The Report, Football, and Fireworks For a Hot Fourth. The work premiered Off-Broadway at the Village South Theatre on June 11, 1969 where it ran for a total of seven performances.-The Report:The...
(1969), Man In Space (1969), an adaptation of Aesop's Fables (1972), and Mostly Wolfgang (1991). In collaboration with Ulu Grosbard, Swan translated Peter Weiss
Peter Weiss
Peter Ulrich Weiss was a German writer, painter, and artist of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays Marat/Sade and The Investigation and his novel The Aesthetics of Resistance....
's Die Ermittlung
The Investigation (play)
The Investigation is a play by Peter Weiss written in 1965 which depicts the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials of 1963-1965. It premiered on October 19, 1965 on stages in fourteen West and East German cities and at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. It carries the subtitle "Oratorio in 11 Cantos"...
(The Investigation) into English for the work's premiere on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1966 and translated Heinrich von Kleist
Heinrich von Kleist
Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist was a poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer. The Kleist Prize, a prestigious prize for German literature, is named after him.- Life :...
's Der Zerbrochne Krug (The Broken Pitcher) for its New York premiere in 1981. He is also the author of the libretto of William Russo
William Russo (musician)
William Russo, better known as Bill Russo , was an American jazz musician. He is considered one of the greatest jazz composers and arrangers.-History:...
's chamber opera
Chamber opera
Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
The Shepherds' Christmas (1988). Recently, in collaboration with Carl Weber, he completed a translation, of Peter Weiss's play Hölderlin, scheduled for publication in 2010.
Swan lives with his wife, Marianne, in the village of Clayton
Clayton, Massachusetts
Clayton, Massachusetts is the southernmost community in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It is part of the town of New Marlborough....
in the town of New Marlborough, Massachusetts
New Marlborough, Massachusetts
New Marlborough is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,494 at the 2000 census...
. They have three daughters.