Adrienne Rich Biography

(born May 16, 1929, Baltimore, Md., U.S.) U.S. poet, scholar, and critic. She was a student at Radcliffe College when her poems were chosen for publication in the Yale Younger Poets series; the resulting volume, A Change of World (1951), reflected her formal mastery. Her subsequent work traces a transformation from well-crafted but imitative poetry to a highly personal and powerful style. Her increasing commitment to the women's movement and a lesbian/feminist aesthetic influenced much of her work. Among her collections are Diving into the Wreck (1973, National Book Award) and The Dream of a Common Language (1978). She also wrote compelling books of nonfiction, including Of Woman Born (1976; National Book Award), On Lies, Secrets, and Silence (1979), and What Is Found There (1993).

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