Hillyer, Robert (Silliman) (1895–1961)

US poet and teacher. While a student Harvard University, he published Eight Harvard Poets (1917), a volume including his own work and that of E E Cummings and John Dos Passos, among others. After graduation, he and Dos Passos served in the ambulance corps in France. Hillyer taught at Harvard (1919–20), wrote essays, novels, and many volumes of reflective poetry, notably The Seventh Hall (1928). He taught at Trinity College (1926–28), returned to Harvard (1928–45), became a visiting professor at various institutions. Hillyer then taught at the University of Delaware (1952–61). Traditional in his own work and conservative in his tastes, he often found himself at odds with the prevailing literary modes and movements. Hillyer was born in East Orange, New Jersey.