(Full name Gary Sherman Snyder) American poet, translator, autobiographer, travel writer, and essayist.
Snyder’s stature as both a counterculture figure and an innovative mainstream poet places him in an uncommon position in contemporary literature. Although only briefly involved with the San Francisco Beat movement of the 1950s, Snyder’s influence on the Beats was nevertheless significant and he is often linked with them. However, unlike many Beat writers, Snyder has also received extensive scholarly attention. The literary influences of Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound, and Ralph Waldo Emerson have been noted in Snyder’s works. He is the recipient of several literary honors and awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for his collection Turtle Island (1974) and an American Book Award for Axe Handles (1983).
Snyder, the son of Harold Alton and Lois Wilkie Snyder, was born on May 8, 1930, in San Francisco, California. Snyder was raised on small farms, first in Washington and later in Oregon, and held jobs as a logger, seaman, fire lookout, and United States Forest Service trail crew worker. His interest in American Indian culture led him to acquire degrees in literature and anthropology at Reed College.
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