Audrey Wurdmann (1911-1960). Sketch by J. Burlinson. Licensed under Creative Commons, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
| Audrey Wurdemann | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 1, 1911 Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Died |
May 20, 1960 (aged 49) Miami, Florida, United States |
| Occupation | poet |
| Nationality |
 American |
| Spouse(s) | Joseph Auslander |
Audrey May Wurdemann Auslander (January 1, 1911 - May 20, 1960) was an American poet, the youngest winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry.
Life[]
Youth and education[]
Wurdemann was born in Seattle, Washington. She was the great-great-granddaughter of Percy Bysshe Shelley.[1]
She never attended grammar school, and entered high school at the age of 11.
Her debut collection of poems, The House of Silk, was published when she was 16,[1] sponsored by California poet George Sterling.
She was a 1931 honors graduate of the University of Washington.
Career[]
After college Wurdemann traveled in the United States and Asia.[1]
She married American poet and novelist Joseph Auslander in 1932.[1] The couple moved to New York City, where Auslander taught at Columbia.
They moved to Washington, D.C., when Auslander was appointed the inaugural Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Wurdmann became his office administrator. She also served as president of the National League for American Women.[1]
After Auslander's term as Poet Laureate ended in 1941, the couple moved to Coral Gables, Florida,[1] where they spent their last years living in retirement. Wurdmann subsequently collaborated with Auslander on 2 novels, My Uncle Jan and The Islanders.
Recognition[]
Bright Ambush won the 1935 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry when Wurdmann was 24, making her the youngest person to ever win the prize.[1]
Publications[]
Poetry[]
- The House of Silk. New York: H. Vinal, 1927.
- Bright Ambush: Poems. New York: John Day, 1934; New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1935.
- The Seven Sins. New York & London: Harper & Brothers, 1935.
- Splendour in the Grass. New York & London: Harper & Brothers, 1936.
- Testament of Love: a sonnet sequence. New York & London: Harper & Brothers, 1938.
Novels[]
- My Uncle Jan (with Joseph Auslander). New York: Longmans, Green, 1948.
- The Islanders (with Joseph Auslander). New York: Longmans, Green, 1951.
The Weavers
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[2]
See also[]
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References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Audrey Wurdmann, Beltway Poetry Quarterly. Web, Feb. 21, 2019.
- ↑ Search results = au:Audrey Wurdemann, WorldCat. Web, July 9, 2012.
External links[]
- Poems
- Five poems by Audrey Wurdemann at Beltway Poetry Quarterly
- Books
- Audrey Wurdemann at Amazon.com
- About
- Wurdemann, Audrey in the Oxford Companion to American Literature
- New York Times obituary
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