John Ciardi
Why Included
Poet, Dante translator, and broadcaster who brought literature and word histories to broad audiences.
Biography
John Ciardi was a poet, translator and broadcaster. Stony Brook University's biographical collection describes him as the son of Italian immigrants, born in Boston's North End. His English translations of Dante appeared as Inferno (1954), Purgatorio (1961) and Paradiso (1970). His work also included children's verse and the NPR word-history program A Word in Your Ear (1977–1986).
Begin with a passage of his Dante translation and compare another translator's choices. The [Stony Brook collection](https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/libspecial/collections/manuscripts/ciardi/index.shtml) documents his writing and career. The former directory claim of 35 years as poetry editor has been removed because the evidence does not support it.
Notable For
- Poetry
- English translations of Dante
- A Word in Your Ear
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is John Ciardi Italian?
Yes — John Ciardi is of Italian heritage with roots in Italian. Poet, Dante translator, and broadcaster who brought literature and word histories to broad audiences.
Articles about John Ciardi
Notable Italian Americans: Languages, Books and Public Voices
· 5 min read
Explore John Ciardi, Helen Barolini, Jerre Mangione and Pietro di Donato through translation, anthologies, memoir and working-life fiction.
Explore the wider history of Italian Americans.
If you believe this entry contains an error, outdated information, or a sourcing issue, we want to hear from you.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Arts & Literature
- Specialty
- Literature/Poetry
- Years
- 1916–1986
- Birth Place
- Boston, MA
- Origin
- Italian American descendant
- Regional Ancestry
- Italian
- Biography Review
- Draft — Pending Review
- Ancestry Verification
- Needs Review
More in Arts & Literature
- John De Andrea(b. 1941)
- Helen Barolini(1925–2023)
- Pietro Belluschi(1899–1994)
- Constantino Brumidi(1805–1880)
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