W. d. snodgrass
1926-2009
Commonly regarded as the first example of the movement, Snodgrass has openly claimed that he holds distaste for the moniker "Confessional Poet", due to its "religious connotations" and the fact that critics associated it with narcissism and therapy. He began as a student at the University of Iowa to fellow poet Robert Lowell, who was influenced by his student's technical and honest style, thereby assisting him in the publication of his first book, Heart's Needle. Throughout this book, Snodgrass narrates his painful divorce and the consequent separation from his daughter. Deemed "a master of literary technique", Snodgrass did not merely pour out his feelings with a pen and a pad of paper; rather, he demonstrated vast knowledge of form and the ability to effectively use literary devices ranging "from metaphor to allusion to aphorism" in his works.
Commonly regarded as the first example of the movement, Snodgrass has openly claimed that he holds distaste for the moniker "Confessional Poet", due to its "religious connotations" and the fact that critics associated it with narcissism and therapy. He began as a student at the University of Iowa to fellow poet Robert Lowell, who was influenced by his student's technical and honest style, thereby assisting him in the publication of his first book, Heart's Needle. Throughout this book, Snodgrass narrates his painful divorce and the consequent separation from his daughter. Deemed "a master of literary technique", Snodgrass did not merely pour out his feelings with a pen and a pad of paper; rather, he demonstrated vast knowledge of form and the ability to effectively use literary devices ranging "from metaphor to allusion to aphorism" in his works.