Poet. He was an award-winning poet who was well known for the "elegance, originality, and obscurity of his work. He graduated from Harvard University in 1949 and received a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1951. After working as a copywriter in New York City for four years, he lived in Paris until 1965, contributing art criticism to the Paris edition of the New York Herald-Tribune and to the American periodical "Art News". In 1965 he returned to New York where he served as executive editor of "Art News" from 1965 to 1972 and then took a post teaching poetry and creative writing at Brooklyn College. His first published book, "Turandot and Other Poems" (1953), was followed by "Some Trees" (1956), "The Tennis Court Oath" (1962), "Rivers and Mountains" (1966), and "The Double Dream of Spring" (1970). His work "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror" (1975) was awarded the National Book Award for poetry, the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, and the National Book Critics Circle prize. His later works included "Houseboat Days" (1977), "A Wave" (1984), "April Galleons" (1987), "Flow Chart" (1991), "And the Stars Were Shining" (1994), "Can You Hear, Bird" (1995), "Wakefulness" (1998), "Chinese Whispers" (2002), "A Worldly Country" (2007), "Planisphere" (2009), "Quick Question" (2012), and "Breezeway" (2015). A book of his work "Collected Poems, 1956–1987" was published in 2008. He also translated various French poetry and prose into English and had it published into two volumes. His works were initially criticized, but later appreciated when they were understood more. Besides the honors he was awarded for "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror", he achieved many other honors and awards for his lifetime work in the field of poetry. He passed away from natural causes.