David Shapiro (poet)

David Shapiro (born January 2, 1947) is an American poet, literary critic, and art historian.

Education
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Shapiro grew up in Newark and attended Weequahic High School before matriculating at Columbia University at the age of 16 (with the assistance of Kenneth Koch), from which he holds a Bachelor of ArtsB.A. (1968) and a Ph.D. (1973) in English. Between 1968 and 1970, he studied at the University of Cambridge on a Kellett Fellowship, from which he holds an M.A. with honours.

He achieved brief notoriety during the 1968 student uprising at Columbia, when he was photographed sitting behind the desk of President Grayson L. Kirk wearing dark glasses and smoking a cigar; Shapiro later described the cigar as "horrible".

Career
He was first published at the age of thirteen, and his first book was published when he was just eighteen. He has written some twenty volumes of poetry, literary, and art criticism.

Having previously taught at Columbia (in the Department of English and Comparative Literature), Princeton University, and Brooklyn College, Shapiro teaches poetry and literature at Cooper Union and is currently the William Paterson professor of art history at William Paterson University.

Shapiro lives in Riverdale, The Bronx, New York City, with his wife and son.

Works
Shapiro wrote the first monograph on John Ashbery, the first book on Jim Dine’s paintings, the first book on Piet Mondrian’s flower studies, and the first book on Jasper Johns’ drawings. He has translated Rafael Alberti’s poems on Pablo Picasso, and the writings of the Sonia and Robert Delaunay.

His sonnets on the death of Socrates are the basis for Unwritten, a song cycle by Mohammed Fairouz.

List of works

 * January: A Book of Poems–Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1965
 * Poems From Deal–E P Dutton, 1969
 * An Anthology of New York Poets (co-editor)–Random House, 1970
 * A Man Holding an Acoustic Panel–E P Dutton, 1971 (National Book Award Nominee)
 * The Page Turner–Liveright, 1973
 * Lateness: A Book of Poems–Overlook/Viking, 1977
 * Introduction to John Ashbery’s Poetry–Columbia University Press, 1979
 * The Writings of Sonia and Robert Delaunay (co-translator)–Viking, 1979
 * Jim Dine–Abrams, 1981; Alecta Press (German edition and translation)
 * Lateness (Watercolors by Lucio Pozzi)–Generations Press, Paris, 1981
 * To An Idea–Overlook/Viking, 1984
 * Jasper Johns–Abrams, 1984
 * House (Blown Apart): A Book of Poems–Overlook/Viking, 1988
 * Mondrian: Flowers–Abrams, 1991
 * The Selected Poems of Jacques Dupin (co-translator)–Wake Forest, 1992
 * The Eight Names of Picasso (co-translator)–Gas Station Editions, 1992
 * After A Lost Original (etching by Terry Winters)–Solo Press, 1992
 * The Green Lake is Awake: The Selected Poems of Joseph Ceravolo (co-editor)–CoffeeHouse Press, 1994
 * After A Lost Original–Overlook Press, 1994
 * Body of Prayer (Shapiro, Govrin, Derrida)–Cooper Union Press, 1998
 * A Burning Interior–Overlook Press, 2002
 * Rabbit Duck (Collaborative with Richard Hell) – Repair, 2005
 * New and Selected Poems (1965–2006)–Overlook Press, 2007

Recognition
Shapiro has won National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, been nominated for a National Book Award, and been the recipient of numerous grants for his work.

Fellowships, awards, and grants

 * Gotham Book Mart Avant-Garde Poetry Award–1962
 * Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Robert Frost Fellow–1965
 * Merrill Foundation, Grant–1967
 * Book of the Month Club Writing Award–1968
 * Clare College, Cambridge University–Kellett Fellowship, Awarded by Columbia College–1968–1970
 * Woodrow Wilson Fellowship–1970
 * Clare College, Cambridge University–First Honors, Book Prize, Scholar–1970
 * Columbia University, NDEA Grant–1970–1971
 * National Book Award, Nominated–1971
 * Creative Artists Public Service Grant–1973
 * Council for the Humanities, Grants–1973, 1976, 1978
 * Columbia University, Chamberlain Fellowship–1976
 * American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, Zabel Prize–1977
 * National Endowment for the Humanities, Fellowship–1979–1980
 * National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Writing–1980
 * Princeton University, Faculty Fellow–1985–1986
 * National Endowment for the Humanities, Fellow, USCS at Santa Cruz–1987
 * Asia Society Colophon Award–1998
 * Graham Foundation Grant–1990
 * The America Awards for Literature, Belles Lettres–The Green Lake is Awake: Selected Poems of Joseph Ceravolo (Co-Editor)–1994
 * Fund for Poetry–1995
 * Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award, 1996