John Berryman

Born in 1914 in McAlester, Oklahoma, John Berryman became one of the most influential American poets of the 20th century. He studied at Columbia University and later at Cambridge, building a career that joined scholarship, teaching, and ambitious, highly original poetry.

He is especially remembered for Homage to Mistress Bradstreet and 77 Dream Songs, the book that won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and introduced many readers to his jagged, inventive voice. His work is often linked with confessional poetry, though it also stands out for its wit, formal skill, and dramatic range.

Berryman taught at several universities, including a long stretch at the University of Minnesota, and his poems continue to be read for the way they mix intellect, vulnerability, comedy, and pain. The dates you provided appear to be mistaken: reliable sources identify him as living from 1914 to 1972, not 1919 to 1988.