Biyografi
Robert Lee Frost, often regarded as the greatest American poet of the 20th century, was born in San Francisco, California, on March 26, 1874. His father, William Prescott Frost Jr., hailed from a Republican family in Lawrence, Massachusetts, while his mother, Isabelle Moodie Frost, was a Scottish immigrant. William Frost, a journalist with political interests, was rebellious and named his son after Confederate General Robert E. Lee. He struggled with alcoholism and tuberculosis.
William met Isabelle while teaching in Pennsylvania. Their marriage was troubled due to differing temperaments. William died of tuberculosis in 1885, and Isabelle fulfilled his wish to be buried in Massachusetts. She moved with Robert and their daughter Jeanie to Lawrence, near William’s parents.
Isabelle became a schoolteacher in Salem, New Hampshire, just across the state border near Lawrence. Robert and Jeanie were among her students. Robert attended Lawrence High School, where his first poems appeared in the school bulletin. Graduating in 1892, he shared valedictorian honors with Elinor White, to whom he became engaged later that year.
In September 1892, Frost enrolled at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, but left after one semester. This strained his relationship with Elinor, who insisted he finish college before marrying. In his late teens and early twenties, he worked various jobs, including mill hand, newspaper reporter, and teacher at his mother’s school.
Frost’s first published poem, "My Butterfly: An Elegy," appeared in the New York magazine The Independent in 1894. He later self-published a book of poetry. He and Elinor married on December 19, 1895. Their first child, Elliott, was born on September 29, 1896. Frost was accepted as a special student at Harvard but had to leave due to tuberculosis and the birth of their second child in 1899. He never completed his college education.
At the turn of the century, the Frost family faced several tragedies. Elliott died of cholera in July 1900 at age four, a loss that deeply affected the couple and inspired Frost’s poem "Home Burial." That same year, Frost’s mother died of cancer, and his grandfather, William Prescott Frost Sr., passed away in 1901. His grandfather left him an annual $500 annuity and use of a farm in Derry, New Hampshire, for ten years, after which Robert would own it.
The Frosts had four more children; their youngest daughter, born in 1907, died after three days. Although Frost had long aspired to be a poet, recognition was slow. To support his family, he farmed and taught school, often alongside Elinor. His attempt at poultry farming failed. Economic necessity led him to teach at the State Normal School in Plymouth, New Hampshire, during the 1910-11 school year.
Frost integrated poetry and education with his children, believing the two were inseparable. Poetry became a daily part of family life. His children Lesley, Irma, Marjorie, and Carol were homeschooled, encouraged to develop observation skills and imagination. Reading and writing were both enjoyable and a means of discovery.
He shared his stories and poems with his children, who in turn wrote and shared their own. While in England, the Frost children published a small magazine called The Bouquet with their English friends. The family moved to England in August 1912 after American publishers showed no interest in his poetry and Frost felt isolated. He sold the Derry farm, which he had inherited, to finance the move. The relocation proved beneficial, as Frost quickly befriended a community of serious poets for the first time.
Living on a farm in Buckinghamshire, Frost became a prolific writer, developing his unique poetic voice. He met fellow American expatriate Ezra Pound, an avant-garde poet who became a strong supporter.
Within two months of arriving in England, the small London publisher David Nutt accepted Frost’s collection of poems, mostly written over the previous nine years. "A Boy’s Will" was published in 1913 and received favorable reviews despite being a young poet’s work. Frost then moved to Gloucestershire to be near the Georgian poets. His second collection, "North of Boston," came out in 1914 and included classics such as "Mending Wall," "The Death of the Hired Man," and "After Apple-Picking." Frost had not only emerged as a poet but had matured artistically.
After publishing "North of Boston," Frost returned to the United States due to World War I. By then, Henry Holt had published "North of Boston" with great success. Frost adeptly promoted himself and gained acclaim in Boston and New York literary circles. Holt released his third volume, "Mountain Interval," in 1916, which included "The Road Not Taken," "An Old Man’s Winter Night," "The Oven Bird," and "Birches," solidifying his reputation.
Settling again in New England, Frost purchased a farm in Franconia, New Hampshire. In 1917, he became professor of literature and poet-in-residence at Amherst College. By the 1920s, he was recognized as one of America’s foremost poets. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1924 for "New Hampshire," his fourth poetry collection. He continued publishing new and collected works regularly, held teaching positions at Dartmouth, Harvard, and the University of Michigan, and maintained an active schedule of lectures and readings. His honors included a record four Pulitzer Prizes, and he was the only poet selected for The Book of the Month Club. His poetry was widely sold in mass-market editions.
Though often mistakenly cited as a Nobel laureate, Frost never won the Nobel Prize. As a leading literary figure, he gained influence and was a favorite of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Frost successfully advocated for Ezra Pound’s release from confinement after Pound’s arrest for broadcasting fascist propaganda during World War II.
One of Frost’s most memorable moments came at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration on January 20, 1961, when he became the first poet to read at a U.S. presidential inauguration, highlighting his stature as both a serious poet and a popular figure. He represented the United States on official foreign missions during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. In 1962, Congress awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal, which President Kennedy presented at a public ceremony. That year, Kennedy also sent Frost as a cultural envoy to the USSR during the Cold War.
In his later years, Frost achieved unparalleled popular acclaim for an American poet, though his critical reputation waned due to diminished creative powers. His last significant volume, "A Witness Tree," was published in 1942. His final collections received less praise, though some poems were still considered among his best.
Frost died in a Boston hospital on January 29, 1963, just shy of his 89th birthday, having become the most esteemed figure in American letters. His reputation has endured since his death, a testament to his greatness. In 1996, Nobel laureates Joseph Brodsky, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott jointly published an homage to Frost, acknowledging him as one of literature’s greatest poets.
