Anthony Hecht's work combined a deep interest in form with a passionate desire to confront the horrors of 20th century history, with the Second World War, in which he fought, and the Holocaust being recurrent themes in his work.
15 Facts About Anthony Hecht
2.
Anthony Hecht's parents were not happy at his plans and tried to discourage them, even getting family friend Ted Geisel, better known as Dr Seuss, to attempt to dissuade him.
3.
In 1944, upon completing his final year at Bard, Anthony Hecht was drafted into the 97th Infantry Division and was sent to the battlefields in Europe.
4.
Anthony Hecht saw combat in Germany in the "Ruhr Pocket" and in Cheb in Czechoslovakia.
5.
However, his most significant experience occurred on April 23,1945, when Anthony Hecht's division helped liberate Flossenburg concentration camp.
6.
Anthony Hecht was ordered to interview French prisoners in the hope of gathering evidence on the camp's commanders.
7.
Anthony Hecht later received his master's degree from Columbia University.
8.
In 1947 Anthony Hecht attended the University of Iowa and taught in the Iowa Writers' Workshop, together with writer Robie Macauley, with whom Anthony Hecht had served during World War II, but, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after his war service, gave it up swiftly to enter psychoanalysis.
9.
Anthony Hecht later won the Furioso Poetry Award and enrolled at Columbia University as a candidate for a master's degree in English literature.
10.
Anthony Hecht released his first collection, A Summoning of Stones, in 1954.
11.
In 1993 Anthony Hecht published The Hidden Law, a critical reading of Auden's body of work.
12.
Anthony Hecht spent three months in hospital following his breakdown, although he was spared electric shock therapy, unlike Sylvia Plath, whom he had encountered while teaching at Smith College.
13.
Anthony Hecht spent varying lengths of time teaching at other notable institutions such as Smith, Bard, Harvard, Georgetown, and Yale.
14.
Anthony Hecht died on October 20,2004, at his home in Washington, DC; he is buried at the cemetery at Bard College.
15.
Anthony Hecht is known for his masterful use of traditional forms and linguistic control.