American poet William Carlos Williams was born in 1883 in Rutherford, New Jersey. He was educated in Geneva, Switzerland, University of Pennsylvania (M.D., 1906), and Univ. of Leipzig, where he studied pediatrics.
He is regarded as one of the most important and original American poets of the 20th century. Williams began his medical practice in 1910 in Rutherford and was a physician for more than 40 years.
His early poetry shows the influences of the various poetic trends of the time—from metaphorical imagism to free-verse expressionism. Williams observed American life closely, expressed anger at injustice, and recorded his impressions in a lucid, vital style.
He died in 1963.
