Louise Gluck, the celebrated American poet and the recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in literature, has passed away, as confirmed by a spokesperson from Yale University to AFP on Friday.
At the age of 80, Gluck succumbed to a prolonged battle with cancer in her residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
She had most recently served as a professor of poetry at Yale University.
Notably, Louise Gluck was the 16th woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in literature, a distinguished honor shared with previous laureates like William Butler Yeats in 1923 and T.S. Eliot in 1948.
Much like their renowned works, Gluck’s poetry was characterized by its austerity, which served as a wellspring of strength. She articulated the potency of the unspoken in her collection of essays on poetry, “Proofs and Theories,” stating, “The unsaid, for me, exerts great power.”
In her artistic endeavors, Gluck seamlessly wove together themes inspired by the natural world’s simple beauty and the profound experiences of childhood, intermingled with the rich narratives of mythology.
In 2020, Louise Gluck was honored with the Nobel Prize in literature, an occasion marked by the cancellation of the formal ceremony due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She was recognized for her distinct poetic voice, which, with a compelling sense of simplicity, made individual existence universally relatable.
Gluck’s contribution to the world of literature and her ability to transcend the personal and make it universally resonant through her poetry have left an indelible mark. Her passing is a significant loss to the literary community, but her work and legacy will continue to inspire and move readers for generations to come.
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