John Ciardi

John Anthony Ciardi ( ; ; June 24, 1916 – March 30, 1986) was an American poet, translator, and etymologist. While primarily known as a poet and translator of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', he also wrote several volumes of children's poetry, pursued etymology, contributed to the ''Saturday Review'' as a columnist and long-time poetry editor, directed the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in Vermont, and recorded commentaries for National Public Radio.

In 1959, Ciardi published a book on how to read, write, and teach poetry, ''How Does a Poem Mean?'', which has proven to be among the most-used books of its kind. At the peak of his popularity in the early 1960s, Ciardi also had a network television program on CBS, ''Accent''. Ciardi's impact on poetry is perhaps best measured through the younger poets whom he influenced as a teacher and as editor of the ''Saturday Review''. Provided by Wikipedia