Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869-1935) was born in Head Tide, Maine, but grew up in Gardiner. Although his literary aspirations were discouraged by his family, he eventually attended Harvard but early on had little success in getting his work published. In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt read and publicly admired Robinson’s 1897 book The Children of the Night, getting the book reprinted by a major publishing company and finding Robinson a job in the New York Customs House. Starting in 1910, Robinson started to receive recognition as a poet and he won the Pulitzer Prize three times, in 1922 for Collected Poems, in 1924 for The Man Who Died Twice, and in 1927 for Tristram. He died in 1935 just hours after finishing his last book, King Jasper.
The Gardiner Library Associates maintain a web site dedicated to Robinson’s life and work.
COLLECTION DETAILS
The Edwin Arlington Robinson Collection – one of our largest — contains nine linear feet of unpublished material, including over 1,200 unpublished letters by Robinson, as well as over 100 linear feet of published works; first and subsequent editions of Robinson’s works; related criticism; and many books from his personal library. The collection also contains: photographs; writings and printed items created by family members, peers, other individuals, and organizations; Robinson’s personal items and academic regalia; and, artwork.
We have a finding aid and other descriptive information about the Robinson Collection online.
HIGHLIGHTED DONORS FOR THIS COLLECTION
H Bacon Collamore – primary donor
Ruth Robinson Nivison/Robinson Birthplace, Inc – primary donor
Margaret Perry – primary donor
Clara (Mrs Carl Jefferson) Weber