Koch, Kenneth

Koch, Kenneth

▪ American author
born February 27, 1925, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
died July 6, 2002, New York, New York

      American teacher and author noted especially for his witty, often surreal (Surrealism), sometimes epic, poetry. He was also an accomplished playwright.

      Koch attended Harvard University (B.A., 1948) and Columbia University (M.A., 1953; Ph.D., 1959), where he subsequently taught for many years. With the publication of Poems (1953), his first collection, he became one of the leading poets of the so-called New York school, a loose-knit group that included poets Frank O'Hara (O'Hara, Frank) and John Ashbery (Ashbery, John). Allied with the Abstract Expressionist painters, these poets worked in a deliberately antitraditional style. Koch's work was noted for its rather whimsical humour and unusual juxtapositions.

      Koch wrote two Byronic (Byron, George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron) epics in ottava rima: Ko; or, A Season on Earth (1959), a complex, comic tale of continent-hopping characters, and The Duplications (1977). These were later published together, with a long preface also in ottava rima, as Seasons on Earth (1987). He also wrote Sleeping with Women (1969) and the long prose poem The Burning Mystery of Anna in 1951 (1979), as well as many shorter verses, including those collected in Selected Poems 1950–82 (1991). In 1994 he published two collections, On the Great Atlantic Rainway: Selected Poems 1950–1988 and One Train. He received the Bollingen Prize in Poetry in 1995.

      Two dozen of Koch's plays, which are often short, and 10 of his screenplays were collected in A Change of Hearts: Plays, Films, and Other Dramatic Works 1951–1971 (1973). His other drama collections include One Thousand Avant-Garde Plays (1988) and The Gold Standard (1996). Koch is noted for teaching poetry writing and appreciation to children and retirees, as described in his books Wishes, Lies, and Dreams: Teaching Children to Write Poetry (1970), Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? Teaching Great Poetry to Children (1973), and I Never Told Anybody: Teaching Poetry Writing in a Nursing Home (1977). Among his works of prose are the short stories of Hotel Lambosa (1993) and Making Your Own Days: The Pleasures of Reading and Writing Poetry (1998).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • KOCH, KENNETH — (1925–2002), U.S. poet. Koch was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and as a young man, fought in the U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War II. He later studied at Harvard, and one of his teachers was the poet Delmore Schwartz. He received an M.A.… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Koch, Kenneth Jay — ▪ 2003       American poet, writer, and teacher (b. Feb. 27, 1925, Cincinnati, Ohio d. July 6, 2002, New York, N.Y.), was known for verse that combined modernism with lyricism and that conveyed a sense of enthusiasm and fun. The subject matter… …   Universalium

  • Kenneth Koch — (27 February 1925 – 6 July 2002) was an American poet, playwright, and professor, active from the 1950s until his death at age 77. He was a prominent poet of the New York School of poetry, a loose group of poets including Frank O Hara and John… …   Wikipedia

  • Koch (Familienname) — Koch ist ein deutscher Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Der Name „Koch“ stammt vom mittelhochdeutschen Wort Koch. Es handelt sich um den Berufsnamen zur Tätigkeit des Kochs.[1] Verbreitung Mit rund 62.000 Telefonbucheinträgen befindet sich… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Koch (surname) — Koch (pronounced in German, although it is often pronounced differently in other countries) is a German surname meaning cook and may refer to: * Bill Koch (skier), cross country skier * Billy Koch, Major league baseball relief pitcher * Bobby… …   Wikipedia

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  • Kenneth Koch — est un poète américain, né le 27 février 1925 à Ohio, mort le 6 juillet 2002 à New York. Il est souvent associé à l École de New York. Œuvres Poems (1953) Ko: or, A Season on Earth (1959) Permanently (1961) Thank You and Other Poems (1962) Bertha …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Koch — [kɔx], der; [e]s, Köche [ kœçə]: männliche Person, die im Zubereiten von Speisen ausgebildet ist, die berufsmäßig kocht: Koch sein, werden; als Koch in einer Kantine arbeiten; ihr Mann ist ein begeisterter Koch (kocht gern). Zus.: Aushilfskoch,… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw — was the 10th Chancellor and President of Syracuse University. One of the more popular chancellors in Syracuse University history, Shaw was very visible on campus and in the community, making himself available for student meetings and media… …   Wikipedia

  • Kenneth Lipper — is a prominent figure in the arts, in the world of finance, and in government. He has served as a lawyer, an investment banker, a novelist, a screenwriter, a professor, and as a former New York City deputy mayor for finance and economic… …   Wikipedia

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