June 10, 2015

Wednesday Writing Wisdom (11) Robert Frost





“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”



Robert Frost
(1874 - 1963)


He was named after the famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Robert Frost’s father William Prescott Frost, Jr. initially worked as a teacher and he married another teacher, Isabelle Moodie, a Scotswoman. The couple moved to San Francisco, California where William Frost became a journalist. On March 26, 1874, their first child was born whom they named Robert Lee Frost after the famous General of the Confederate Army, Robert E. Lee.

Robert Frost was acclaimed in America after his poems were published in England. Due to the onset of World War I, the Frosts returned to America. North of Boston had become a bestseller and Frost was acclaimed by critics and well received by the publishing world. Publishers like Atlantic Monthly who had previously rejected Frost’s work, now came calling. Frost famously sent Atlantic Monthly the same poems that they had turned down before he went to England.

He won four Pulitzer Prizes and was awarded the United States Congressional Gold Medal.
The well-known phrase, "Good fences make good neighbors," was featured in Robert's poem "Mending Wall", published in 1914. It was in the "North of Boston" collection.


8 comments:

  1. So interesting about Atlantic Monthly. I bet they were kicking themselves after he'd gained such fame.

    Another cool "writerly" post, Carmen!

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    1. What happened to Frost happened to many other authors. Novels, poems that are rejected by publishers and gaining fame due to authors' not giving up.
      Thank you for checking my post, Mae!

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  2. Ha, good for him sending them the same poems. What a great quote. He is the first poet whose poem we memorized in 7th grade-- "Whose woods are these, I think I know..." I love your Wednesday posts.

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    1. I am glad you enjoy my Wednesday Writing Quotes. I heard about Frost only later, as a college student, but as I myself like and write poetry, I admire his works.
      Thanks for visiting, Flossie!

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  3. I enjoyed this and admire this writer's persistence.

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  4. Pinterest told me we shared the same interests in pinning so I had to check out your pins. Sure enough. I found this Robert Frost post. He's one of my fave poets. So much great info here about him. I was named for Robert E. Lee by way of my grandmother's name. My middle name is Lee!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! Sorry for my delayed reply but I only now I noticed it. Mea Culpa!
      Yes, I have many famous British and American authors posted on my blog with useful advice for authors.

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