Mary Barnard
Encyclopedia
Mary Ethel Barnard was an American
poet
, biographer and Greek
-to-English
translator. She is known for her clear interpretation of the works of Sappho
, a translation which has never gone out of print.
Paideuma: A Journal Devoted to Ezra Pound Scholarship, Issue 94, was exclusively dedicated to her work and her correspondence with Pound. Barnard won a Levinson Award of Poetry from Poetry magazine in 1935, and an Elliston Award for her Collected Poems, a Western States Book Award in 1986, (for Time and the White Tigress). Among other honors were: the Washington State Governor’s Award for achievement in the literary arts, and the May Sarton
Award for Poetry from the New England Poetry Club in 1987.
to Samuel Melvin and Bertha Hoard Barnard. Her father worked in the timber industry; growing up, she saw much of the backwoods in the vicinity as she accompanied her father to logging camps. She graduated from Reed College
, just south of the Columbia River
in Portland, Oregon
, in 1932. Barnard worked for a few years as a social worker for the Emergency Relief Administration, and while curator of The Poetry Collection
at the Lockwood Memorial Library ( University of Buffalo, New York
) arranged readings and amassed the writing of many modern poets.
Barnard won several Yaddo
residencies circa 1936 - 38; some of her first poetry was published during the years 1936 - 1940, in Five Young American Poets
, published by New Directions Publishing founded by James Laughlin
. She worked from 1945-50 as research assistant for Carl van Doren, biographer of Benjamin Franklin
and generalist historian of Americana; she is acknowledged as having done most of the research on a biography of Jane Mecom
, Franklin's youngest sister, and his favourite. Van Doren and Barnard had a common interest in the poet Elinor Wylie
(Assault on Mount Helicon, p40). Barnard also worked as a freelance writer.
Barnard was mentored via airmail from Italy by Ezra Pound
after she sent him six poems, and was introduced to the likes of William Carlos Williams
and Marianne Moore
. This generated a lifetime of lengthy correspondence with the former in addition to comprehensive instruction on the art of poetry from Pound. The latter encouraged Barnard to visit Europe, meet H.D. (which did not happen despite pressure from Pound), generally witness the continental European scene, and work on her translations of Sappho from the Greek. She returned to Vancouver after fifteen years on the East Coast and continued to write, mostly original poetry and prose, until her death.
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...
, biographer and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
-to-English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translator. She is known for her clear interpretation of the works of Sappho
Sappho
Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet, born on the island of Lesbos. Later Greeks included her in the list of nine lyric poets. Her birth was sometime between 630 and 612 BC, and it is said that she died around 570 BC, but little is known for certain about her life...
, a translation which has never gone out of print.
Paideuma: A Journal Devoted to Ezra Pound Scholarship, Issue 94, was exclusively dedicated to her work and her correspondence with Pound. Barnard won a Levinson Award of Poetry from Poetry magazine in 1935, and an Elliston Award for her Collected Poems, a Western States Book Award in 1986, (for Time and the White Tigress). Among other honors were: the Washington State Governor’s Award for achievement in the literary arts, and the May Sarton
May Sarton
May Sarton is the pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton , an American poet, novelist, and memoirist.-Biography:...
Award for Poetry from the New England Poetry Club in 1987.
Biography
Barnard was born in Vancouver, WashingtonVancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
to Samuel Melvin and Bertha Hoard Barnard. Her father worked in the timber industry; growing up, she saw much of the backwoods in the vicinity as she accompanied her father to logging camps. She graduated from Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
, just south of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, in 1932. Barnard worked for a few years as a social worker for the Emergency Relief Administration, and while curator of The Poetry Collection
The Poetry Collection
The Poetry Collection at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, is devoted to 20th century poetry in English and English translation. Founded by Charles David Abbott, the University at Buffalo's first Director of Libraries, The Poetry Collection contains over 100,000 volumes...
at the Lockwood Memorial Library ( University of Buffalo, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) arranged readings and amassed the writing of many modern poets.
Barnard won several Yaddo
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
residencies circa 1936 - 38; some of her first poetry was published during the years 1936 - 1940, in Five Young American Poets
Five Young American Poets
Five Young American Poets was a three volume series of poetry collections published by New Directions Publishers .Volume I - 1940 includes selected poetry by:* W. R...
, published by New Directions Publishing founded by James Laughlin
James Laughlin
James Laughlin was an American poet and literary book publisher who founded New Directions Publishers.- Biography :He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Henry Hughart and Marjory Rea Laughlin...
. She worked from 1945-50 as research assistant for Carl van Doren, biographer of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
and generalist historian of Americana; she is acknowledged as having done most of the research on a biography of Jane Mecom
Jane Mecom
Jane Franklin Mecom was the youngest sister of Benjamin Franklin. She wrote to him all her life; their letters and an account of her life are preserved in Carl van Doren's The Letters of Benjamin Franklin and Jane Mecom and in his Jane Mecom, or, The Favorite Sister of Benjamin Franklin: Her Life...
, Franklin's youngest sister, and his favourite. Van Doren and Barnard had a common interest in the poet Elinor Wylie
Elinor Wylie
Elinor Morton Wylie was an American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s. "She was famous during her life almost as much for her ethereal beauty and personality as for her melodious, sensuous poetry."...
(Assault on Mount Helicon, p40). Barnard also worked as a freelance writer.
Barnard was mentored via airmail from Italy by Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
after she sent him six poems, and was introduced to the likes of William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania...
and Marianne Moore
Marianne Moore
Marianne Moore was an American Modernist poet and writer noted for her irony and wit.- Life :Moore was born in Kirkwood, Missouri, in the manse of the Presbyterian church where her maternal grandfather, John Riddle Warner, served as pastor. She was the daughter of mechanical engineer and inventor...
. This generated a lifetime of lengthy correspondence with the former in addition to comprehensive instruction on the art of poetry from Pound. The latter encouraged Barnard to visit Europe, meet H.D. (which did not happen despite pressure from Pound), generally witness the continental European scene, and work on her translations of Sappho from the Greek. She returned to Vancouver after fifteen years on the East Coast and continued to write, mostly original poetry and prose, until her death.
Works
- A Few Poems (1952)
- Sappho: A New Translation (University of California Press, 1958)
- Mythmakers (Ohio University Press, 1966)
- Collected Poems (Breitenbush Books, 1979, introduction by William Stafford)
- Three Fables (Breitenbush Books, 1983)
- Assault on Mt. Helicon: A Literary Memoir (University of California Press, 1984)
- Time and the White Tigress (Breitenbush Books, 1986, linocuts by Anita Bigelow)
- Nantucket Genesis: The Tale of My Tribe (1988, memoir in verse)
