Inspirational Quotes by Stephen Vincent Benet (American Poet)

Stephen Vincent Benét (1898–1943) was an American poet and writer known for his captivating retellings of American history, folk legends, and regional experiences. With a delightful blend of charm, humor, zeal, and theatricality, he breathed new life into these materials.

Born into a military family with a love for literature in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Benét grew up on army posts. His father read poetry aloud to him, his older brother William Rose, and his sister Laura, who would later become writers. At the age of 17, Stephen published his first book. However, during World War I, civilian service interrupted his education at Yale. After the war, he earned his M.A. degree by submitting his third volume of poems instead of a thesis.

After publishing his highly admired work, Ballad of William Sycamore 1790–1880 (1923,) as well as three novels and numerous short stories, Benét traveled to France. There, he penned John Brown’s Body (1928,) his most widely read masterpiece that catapulted him to literary stardom and earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1929—the play adaptation of this work by Charles Laughton in 1953 captivated audiences across the United States. In collaboration with his wife, Rosemary Carr, Benét also wrote A Book of Americans (1933,) a collection of poems that brought historical figures to life, captivating American schoolchildren.

Benét published over 17 volumes of prose and verse. His deep fascination with historical themes led him to embark on a grand project calledWestern Star, an ambitious epic verse narrative on American history. Although he initially envisioned it as a series of up to five books, the work remained unfinished at his death. One of his most famous short stories, The Devil and Daniel Webster (1937,) a humorous take on a folklore theme, inspired a play by Archibald MacLeish, an opera by Douglas Moore, and two motion pictures (1941, 2001.)

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Stephen Vincent Benet