Lowell, Robert Traill Spence, Jr (1917–1977)

US poet. His brutal yet tender verse stressed the importance of individualism, especially during times of war. His works include Lord Weary's Castle (1946; Pulitzer Prize), Life Studies (1959), and For the Union Dead (1964). Much of his poetry is confessional.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, during World War II Lowell was imprisoned for five months for conscientious objection. Several of his poems, notably ‘Memories of West Street and Lepke’ (1956), reflect on this experience. ‘Skunk Hour’ (1957), included in the acclaimed volume Life Studies (1959), is another example of his autobiographical poetry. In the 1960s he was again a war protester and civil-rights activist. Other works include Land of Unlikeness (1944), The Mills of the Kaanaughs (1951), The Old Glory (1965), Near the Ocean (1967), Notebook (1969), The Dolphin (1973, Pulitzer Prize), and Day by Day (1977).