George Oppen Quotes

A collection of quotes by George Oppen.

George Oppen (1908-1984) was an American poet and political activist. He was born on April 24, 1908, in New Rochelle, New York. Oppen grew up in a wealthy Jewish family, but he became politically aware at an early age due to his father's socialist ideals.

In the 1930s, Oppen joined the Communist Party, and his poetry began to reflect his social and political concerns. However, he soon became disillusioned with the party and left it in 1934. Oppen continued to explore political themes in his work, but he moved away from overtly political affiliations.

During World War II, Oppen served in the U.S. Army as a conscientious objector, working as a medic. After the war, he settled in the San Francisco Bay Area and became a key figure in the emerging Beat movement. Along with his wife, Mary Oppen, he co-founded the short-lived but influential Objectivist Press, which published works by poets such as William Carlos Williams and Louis Zukofsky.

Oppen's poetry is noted for its spare and precise language, exploring existential and philosophical themes. His collection "Discrete Series" (1934) is often considered a landmark of modernist poetry. Despite critical acclaim, Oppen largely withdrew from the literary world in the late 1950s, focusing on his family and working as a carpenter.

In 1962, Oppen experienced a resurgence in his literary career when he published "The Materials," which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1969. He went on to publish several more highly regarded collections, including "Of Being Numerous" (1968) and "Primitive" (1978).

George Oppen passed away on July 7, 1984, leaving behind a legacy as a poet who tackled social and philosophical concerns with intellectual rigor and lyrical precision.