William Alfred (August 16, 1922 – May 20, 1999) was an American playwright, poet, and professor of English literature at Harvard University. [1]
Alfred was born into an Irish family in Brooklyn, New York. [2] His father was a bricklayer and his mother was a telephone operator. [3] He graduated from St. Francis Preparatory School in 1940. [2]
Alfred was drafted in 1943, two years into his undergraduate studies at Brooklyn College. [2] He served in the Army tank corps and quartermaster's corps [3] in World War II for four years. [4] While in the army, he was taught Bulgarian at a language school and then stationed in the South Pacific, where he wrote poems for American Poet. [2] Alfred completed his B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1948 with the help of the G.I. Bill. [4] [2]
He went on to Harvard, where he studied the literature of Medieval England, receiving his A.M. and Ph.D. in English in 1949 and 1954 respectively. [5] [4] While at Harvard, Alfred took a creative writing course under Archibald MacLeish. There he wrote his play, Agamemnon. [6]
He began teaching at Harvard the same year he received his doctorate and was appointed full professor in 1963. [4] In 1980, he was named Abbott Lawrence Lowell Professor of the Humanities. [4]
He retired in 1991. [3]
Alfred was a lifelong Catholic and attended mass at Saint Paul's Church in Cambridge. [4]
His great-grandmother, Anna Maria Egan, immigrated to the United States. [6]
Alfred's play Hogan's Goat, a verse drama, helped launch Faye Dunaway's career in the 60's. [7] They maintained a close relationship and remained lifelong friends. [7]
Alfred was close friends with fellow poets Elizabeth Bishop [8] and Robert Lowell. [1]
william alfred harvard.
William Alfred (August 16, 1922 – May 20, 1999) was an American playwright, poet, and professor of English literature at Harvard University. [1]
Alfred was born into an Irish family in Brooklyn, New York. [2] His father was a bricklayer and his mother was a telephone operator. [3] He graduated from St. Francis Preparatory School in 1940. [2]
Alfred was drafted in 1943, two years into his undergraduate studies at Brooklyn College. [2] He served in the Army tank corps and quartermaster's corps [3] in World War II for four years. [4] While in the army, he was taught Bulgarian at a language school and then stationed in the South Pacific, where he wrote poems for American Poet. [2] Alfred completed his B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1948 with the help of the G.I. Bill. [4] [2]
He went on to Harvard, where he studied the literature of Medieval England, receiving his A.M. and Ph.D. in English in 1949 and 1954 respectively. [5] [4] While at Harvard, Alfred took a creative writing course under Archibald MacLeish. There he wrote his play, Agamemnon. [6]
He began teaching at Harvard the same year he received his doctorate and was appointed full professor in 1963. [4] In 1980, he was named Abbott Lawrence Lowell Professor of the Humanities. [4]
He retired in 1991. [3]
Alfred was a lifelong Catholic and attended mass at Saint Paul's Church in Cambridge. [4]
His great-grandmother, Anna Maria Egan, immigrated to the United States. [6]
Alfred's play Hogan's Goat, a verse drama, helped launch Faye Dunaway's career in the 60's. [7] They maintained a close relationship and remained lifelong friends. [7]
Alfred was close friends with fellow poets Elizabeth Bishop [8] and Robert Lowell. [1]
william alfred harvard.