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Louis Untermeyer

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Author

The Resume

    (October 1, 1885-December 18, 1977)
    Born in New York City, New York
    Poet/essayist/critic/editor/anthologist
    Author, translator or editor of over 100 books
    Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (1961-63)
    Panelist on 'What's My Line?' (1950)

Why he might be annoying:

    He borrowed money from his father to publish his first poetry collection, then left the family jewelry business to pursue literature full-time.
    He was married five times to four women.
    He wrote for the Marxist magazine 'The Masses.'
    He made endless puns despite writing, 'Punning is the lowest form of wit.'
    His anthology 'Modern American Poetry' (1919) omitted several of era's innovators, such as e e cummings and William Carlos Williams, while including three of his own poems and one by his then-wife.
    Cummings responded by writing, 'mr u will not be missed/who as an anthologist/sold the many on the few/not excluding mr u.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He discovered and became long-term friends with Robert Frost.
    He was blacklisted during the McCarthy era.
    He claimed, 'What most of us don't realize is that everyone loves poetry,' and cited the popularity of Burma Shave signs as an example.
    He said, 'Write out of love, write out of instinct, write out of reason. But always for money.'
    He responded to cummings' poetic dis with, 'It's the best thing you've written.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 64.71% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 22 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying