Poet. Wystan Hugh Auden came from a professional middle-class family. He attended public schools and in 1925 he went up to Christ Church, Oxford, with a scholarship in biology. He switched to English by his second year, and left Oxford in 1928 with a third-class degree. He spent five years teaching in British public schools, then first gained fame with his book Poems in 1930. From then until he left Britain early in 1939, he worked as freelance reviewer, essayist, and lecturer, then later wrote plays, song cycles, and a libretto. In 1936, he spent three months in Iceland where he gathered material for a travel book Letters from Iceland, and in 1937 he went to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. He spent time in 1938 in China during the Sino-Japanese War, working on Journey to a War. In 1939 he moved to the United States, and he taught from 1941 to 1945 in American universities. Later he settled in Manhattan, working as a freelance writer, a lecturer at The New School for Social Research, and a visiting professor at American colleges. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 1947 long poem The Age of Anxiety. In 1958 he began spending winters in New York, where he lived in Manhattan's East Village, and summers in Europe, spending only three weeks each year lecturing in Oxford. He earned his income mostly from readings, lecture tours, and writing. In 1972, he moved his winter home from New York to Oxford, while he continued to spend summers in Austria. He died in Vienna, shortly after giving a reading of his poems.
Poet. Wystan Hugh Auden came from a professional middle-class family. He attended public schools and in 1925 he went up to Christ Church, Oxford, with a scholarship in biology. He switched to English by his second year, and left Oxford in 1928 with a third-class degree. He spent five years teaching in British public schools, then first gained fame with his book Poems in 1930. From then until he left Britain early in 1939, he worked as freelance reviewer, essayist, and lecturer, then later wrote plays, song cycles, and a libretto. In 1936, he spent three months in Iceland where he gathered material for a travel book Letters from Iceland, and in 1937 he went to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. He spent time in 1938 in China during the Sino-Japanese War, working on Journey to a War. In 1939 he moved to the United States, and he taught from 1941 to 1945 in American universities. Later he settled in Manhattan, working as a freelance writer, a lecturer at The New School for Social Research, and a visiting professor at American colleges. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 1947 long poem The Age of Anxiety. In 1958 he began spending winters in New York, where he lived in Manhattan's East Village, and summers in Europe, spending only three weeks each year lecturing in Oxford. He earned his income mostly from readings, lecture tours, and writing. In 1972, he moved his winter home from New York to Oxford, while he continued to spend summers in Austria. He died in Vienna, shortly after giving a reading of his poems.
Bio by: Pete Mohney
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