Amy Lowell’s literary reputation, overshadowed during her lifetime by prejudice towards her lifestyle and, at times, by her own overbearing personality, has undergone significant reappraisal in recent years. New generations of readers and scholars have rediscovered her work, appreciating her distinctive voice and technical skill.
Amy Lowell
Early Life and Inspiration
Born in 1874 in Brookline, Massachusetts, Amy Lowell was the daughter of a distinguished New England family that nurtured her love of literature from an early age. In 1902, she began writing poetry, inspired by seeing Eleonora Duse, one of the most celebrated actresses of her era, perform on stage.
Personal Life and Influence on Her Work
The most significant relationship of Lowell’s adult life was with the actress Ada Russell, whom she met in 1909. They became lifelong partners, and Russell was the subject of many of Lowell’s poems. Initially, these works were written in a coded style to conceal Lowell’s homosexual feelings; however, as their relationship deepened, her poetry grew increasingly candid about the nature of their bond.
Later Career and Posthumous Recognition
By the time of her death in 1925, Lowell’s literary standing was far from secure. Nonetheless, in 1926 she was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her poetry collection What’s O’Clock. Over the remainder of the 20th century, her poems became more frequently anthologised, restoring her reputation as one of the leading American poets of the early 20th century.
Selected Famous Poems by Amy Lowell
- The Letter
- The Little Garden
- The Matrix
- The Poet
- The Promise of the Morning Star
- The Road to Avignon
- The Starling
- The Taxi
- The Trout
- The Way
- The Wind
- To a Friend
- To an Early Daffodil
- To Elizabeth Ward Perkins
- To John Keats
- Two Lacquer Prints
- Venetian Glass
- Venus Transiens
- White Currants
- Women’s Harvest Song
- Women’s Song of the Corn