The literary world is mourning the loss of Saskia Hamilton, an accomplished poet, editor, and teacher who passed away at the age of 56.
Hamilton’s death was announced by The Paris Review, a prestigious literary magazine for which she served as an advisory editor.
Hamilton was a highly respected figure in the poetry community, known for her insightful and lyrical poems, as well as her meticulous scholarship on American literature.
Her passing is a great loss to those who knew her personally and professionally, as well as to the wider world of literature.
Here, we will remember Saskia Hamilton’s obituary, her life, and her work, as well as explore her legacy and impact on American poetry and academia.
Early Life & education
Saskia Hamilton was born in 1967 in Washington, D.C. She was raised in a literary household, as her father was the writer Guy Davenport.
Hamilton inherited her father’s love for language and literature and went on to study poetry and literature at some of the country’s most prestigious institutions.
She earned her B.A. from Kenyon College, where she studied under the poet and critic James Wright.
Saskia then pursued her M.A. in English from New York University, where she wrote a thesis on Wallace Stevens.
Finally, Hamilton earned her Ph.D. in English from Boston University, where she wrote her dissertation on Emily Dickinson.
Career as a Poet & Scholar
Hamilton’s career as a poet and scholar was marked by her dedication to the craft and her passion for exploring the complexities of human experience through language.
She was the author of five poetry collections, including As for Dream, Canal, Divide These, Corridor, and All Souls.
Hamilton’s poetry was known for its musicality, its sharp eye for detail, and its ability to evoke powerful emotions with simple, direct language.
The critics widely praised her work, and she was one of the leading voices in contemporary American poetry.
In addition to her work as a poet, Hamilton was also an accomplished editor and scholar.
She edited several collections of letters and poems by prominent American writers, including The Dolphin Letters, 1970-1979: Elizabeth Hardwick, Robert Lowell, and Their Circle, as well as The Letters of Robert Lowell.
Hamilton’s scholarship on American literature was equally notable, as she wrote extensively on poets such as Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Bishop, and Wallace Stevens.
Her essays and reviews were published in numerous literary magazines and journals, cementing her reputation as a leading figure in American literary criticism.
Teaching career
Hamilton was also a respected teacher, sharing her love of poetry and literature with students at Barnard College, where she served as the director of the creative writing program.
Her students remember her as a passionate and inspiring teacher who challenged them to think deeply about the power of language and the role of poetry in contemporary culture.
Hamilton also held several prestigious fellowships and awards throughout her career, including a Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Legacy and impact
Saskia Hamilton’s death is a great loss to the literary world, as she was a beloved and highly respected figure in the poetry community.
Her work as a poet, scholar, and teacher made a profound impact on American literature and will continue to inspire future generations of writers and scholars.
Hamilton’s poetry and scholarship featured her deep empathy for the human experience, her love of language, and her dedication to the craft.
She believed that poetry had the power to transform the world and the people who read it, and her work reflected that belief.
In the wake of her passing, Hamilton’s friends and colleagues have paid tribute to her legacy and her impact on their lives.
Mikhail Iossel, a writer and friend of Hamilton’s, wrote on social media that she was “immensely talented and also so decent and gentle and kind, such a remarkably good person. Rest in Peace.”
Saskia Hamilton’s passing is a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the power of poetry to capture the beauty and sadness of the world.
Her legacy as a poet, scholar, and teacher will continue to inspire and challenge those who love language and literature.
We will remember Saskia Hamilton not just for her talent but also for her humanity and her spirit.
She was a true artist who believed that language could change the world, and in her own way, she did just that.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t7XZmpqaZpOkunC%2FwKyiopldna6utcutpqdln5e2tcHAq7Bo