Robert Hass
Robert Hass: A Life of Poetry and Reflection
#### Full Name and Common Aliases
Robert Michael Hass was born on March 1, 1941, in San Francisco, California.
#### Birth and Death Dates
March 1, 1941 -
(Robert Hass is still alive)
#### Nationality and Profession(s)
American poet, essayist, translator, and former Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (1995-1997).
#### Early Life and Background
Hass grew up in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood during the 1950s. His parents, Michael and Eleanor Hass, were both artists: his mother a painter and his father a sculptor. This creative environment fostered an early appreciation for art and literature within Hass.
#### Major Accomplishments
Hass's poetry often explores themes of love, nature, and politics. He is known for his accessible yet nuanced style. Some notable works include:
"Field Guide" (1973)
"Praise" (1979)
"Human Wishes" (1989)
"Sun Under Wood" (2006)
Hass has received numerous awards and honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2007 for "Time and Money".
#### Notable Works or Actions
As Poet Laureate, Hass used his platform to promote poetry as a vital part of American culture. He also translated works by Russian poet Osip Mandelstam.
Hass has taught at various institutions, including Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.
He is married to Brenda Hillman, another prominent poet.
#### Impact and Legacy
Robert Hass's poetry continues to be widely read and studied today. His ability to balance depth with accessibility has made him a beloved figure in American literature. As Poet Laureate, he worked tirelessly to promote the value of poetry in everyday life.
Hass's impact extends beyond his own writing; he has inspired generations of poets to explore themes of love, nature, and social justice.
#### Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Robert Hass is widely quoted for his thought-provoking and accessible poetry. His ability to capture the complexities of human experience through simple yet powerful language has made him a beloved figure in American literature. As Poet Laureate, he used his platform to promote poetry as a vital part of American culture.
Quotes by Robert Hass
Robert Hass's insights on:
Not to make too much of a claim for poetry, but this is a question that goes to the moral heart of the business of any art: 'How do you see the world, and what right do you have to see the world in the way that you do?'
I got interested in the question of literacy because writers are always moaning about why more people don't read books.
In California in the early Spring, There are pale yellow mornings, when the mist burns slowly into day, The air stings like Autumn, clarifies like pain - Well, I have dreamed this coast myself.
I teach a lecture course on American poetry to as many as 150 students. For a lot of them, it's their only elective, so this is their one shot. They'll take the Russian Novel or American Poetry, so I want to give them the high points, the inescapable poets.
The whole difference between the nineteenth century and the twentieth century could be summed up in two words, graveyard and cemetery.
Golf is a worrier’s game, inward, concentrated, a matter of inches, invented by the same people who gave us Presbyterianism.
The first book that really knocked me out was the ‘Brothers Karamazov.’ I read it when I was a senior in high school.
When I was in high school in the ’50s you were supposed to be an Elvis Presley, a James Dean, a Marlon Brando or a Kingston Trio type in a button-down shirt headed for the fraternities at Stanford or Cal.