The 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry was awarded to Anne Sexton for her collection Live or Die, a work that solidified her place in American literature. Her writing, defined by its stark, confessional nature, navigated topics such as mental health and the complexities of domestic life, marking a shift in the thematic scope of contemporary verse.
Formative Years and Early Career
Born in Newton in 1928, Anne Gray Harvey attended Garland Junior College. Before committing to a literary career, she worked as a model with the Hart Agency in Boston. In 1948, she married Alfred Muller Sexton II. Following the birth of her daughters in 1953 and 1955, she experienced the onset of severe mental health challenges, which led to multiple psychiatric hospitalizations.
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Under the guidance of psychiatrist Dr. Martin Orne, Sexton began writing poetry in 1957 as a therapeutic outlet. Her formal instruction included a seminar at Boston University taught by Robert Lowell, where she met contemporaries Sylvia Plath and George Starbuck. Her debut collection, To Bedlam and Part Way Back, was published in 1960. She maintained a lifelong professional and creative partnership with Maxine Kumin, with whom she co-authored four children's books.
Professional Recognition and Later Work
Sexton achieved significant standing in the literary community within a decade of her initial workshops. Beyond the Pulitzer Prize, she received the Shelley Memorial Award in 1967 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1969. She held positions at institutions including Boston University, Colgate University, and Oberlin College. Her multidisciplinary efforts included writing librettos and collaborating with the jazz-rock group Her Kind, as well as the production of her play Mercy Street in 1969.
Final Years
Sexton continued to publish and lecture throughout the early 1970s. On October 4, 1974, she died by suicide in Weston, Massachusetts, at age 45. Her final collection, The Awful Rowing Toward God, was published posthumously in 1975. She is interred at Forest Hills Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1928, Newton, United States
- Died: 1974, Weston, United States
- Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: 1967
- Notable Work: Live or Die
- Education: Garland Junior College, Boston University
- Burial Site: Forest Hills Cemetery
- Member: Phi Beta Kappa Society
- Occupations: Poet, children's writer, librettist
Questions readers ask
What major award did Anne Sexton win?
She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1967 for her collection Live or Die.
Where is Anne Sexton buried?
She is buried at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts.
Achievements
- Pulitzer Prize for Poetry — 1967
- Affiliated with Boston University and Colgate University
- Educated at Boston University
- Worked as poet, writer and children's writer
