Kenneth Koch was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1925. His early interest in poetry was sidelined when he left home at 18 to fight in the Pacific theater of World War II. He attended Harvard on his return to the US, then moved to New York in 1948 to attend Columbia University for his PhD. He flourished in the new city, becoming a cornerstone of what would be called the New York School of poetry. He married his first wife, Janice Elwood, in 1954, and joined Columbia’s faculty in 1959.
Koch’s poetry was known for its liveliness, playfulness, and embrace of the joys of everyday life. He stridently opposed the idea that poetry was an art reserved for somber reflection, incorporating humor, satire, and wordplay throughout his works. In addition to his many poetry publication, he wrote hundreds of avant-garde plays, as well as short stories. first wife died in 1981, and he married again, to Karen Culler, in 1994. Koch was a beloved poetry professor at Columbia for nearly 50 years, with prominent students including Ron Padgett, Jim Jarmusch, David Lehman, and Frank Lima. In both his poetry and his teaching, he was known for his enthusiasm and wit. He died of leukemia in 2002.
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