Virginia Hamilton Adair
Encyclopedia
Virginia Hamilton Adair was an American poet
who became famous later in life with the 1996 publication of Ants on the Melon.
and raised in Montclair, New Jersey
. She attended Montclair Kimberley Academy
, graduating in the class of 1929. She disliked the name "Mary" and dropped it as a young adult. Adair composed her first poem at the age of two; since then, she has written over a thousand poems. Exposed to poetry as a young child through her father, she began writing her own poems regularly at age 6. More than seventy have been published in journals and major magazines, such as the Atlantic and the New Yorker.
She received her B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College
in 1933 and her M.A. from Radcliffe College
. Hamilton was professor emerita at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
in Pomona, California
where she taught from 1957 to 1980.
, Adair did not publish again for almost 50 years. There were several factors which preoccupied her over those decades, and took her attention away from publishing her own work. These included her 1936 marriage to prominent historian Douglass Adair
, motherhood, and an academic career. She was also soured on publishing her work due to her distaste for the gamesmanship of the publishing world.
Adair's return to publishing came in the 1990s, following her husband's 1968 suicide, her retirement from teaching, and her loss of sight from glaucoma
. Adair's friend and fellow poet Robert Mezey
forwarded some of her work to Alice Quinn, The New Yorker
s poetry editor. The New Yorker published the work in 1995, and the subsequently published "Ants on the Melon". Ms. Adair's work then appeared regularly in The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books
.
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...
who became famous later in life with the 1996 publication of Ants on the Melon.
Background
Mary Virginia Hamilton was born in the BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
and raised in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
. She attended Montclair Kimberley Academy
Montclair Kimberley Academy
Montclair Kimberley Academy, abbreviated "MKA", is a private coeducational day school located in Montclair, New Jersey, serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. Thomas W. Nammack became the school's fourth Headmaster in July 2005...
, graduating in the class of 1929. She disliked the name "Mary" and dropped it as a young adult. Adair composed her first poem at the age of two; since then, she has written over a thousand poems. Exposed to poetry as a young child through her father, she began writing her own poems regularly at age 6. More than seventy have been published in journals and major magazines, such as the Atlantic and the New Yorker.
She received her B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
in 1933 and her M.A. from Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
. Hamilton was professor emerita at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, or Cal Poly Pomona, is a public university located in Pomona, California, United States...
in Pomona, California
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
where she taught from 1957 to 1980.
Career
Though she published work during the 1930s and 1940s in Saturday Review, The Atlantic, and The New RepublicThe New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, Adair did not publish again for almost 50 years. There were several factors which preoccupied her over those decades, and took her attention away from publishing her own work. These included her 1936 marriage to prominent historian Douglass Adair
Douglass Adair
Douglass Greybill Adair was an American historian who specialized in intellectual history. He is best known for his work in researching the authorship of disputed numbers of the Federalist Papers, and his influential studies in the history and influence of republicanism in the United States during...
, motherhood, and an academic career. She was also soured on publishing her work due to her distaste for the gamesmanship of the publishing world.
Adair's return to publishing came in the 1990s, following her husband's 1968 suicide, her retirement from teaching, and her loss of sight from glaucoma
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disorder in which the optic nerve suffers damage, permanently damaging vision in the affected eye and progressing to complete blindness if untreated. It is often, but not always, associated with increased pressure of the fluid in the eye...
. Adair's friend and fellow poet Robert Mezey
Robert Mezey
Robert Mezey is an American poet, critic and academic. He is also a noted translator, in particular from Spanish, having translated with Richard Barnes the collected poems of Borges....
forwarded some of her work to Alice Quinn, 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...
s poetry editor. The New Yorker published the work in 1995, and the subsequently published "Ants on the Melon". Ms. Adair's work then appeared regularly in The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
.