Lampson, Robin, 1900-

Poet, educator. Best remembered for his verse novels, "Laughter out of the ground" (1936), an epic of California Gold Rush, and "Death loses a pair of wings" (1939), the tale of Dr. William Gorgas' victory over yellow fever. Lampson studied English and Russian at Stanford University. Went to Russia with American Relief Administration (1922-24), where he administered distribution of relief supplies. Returning to United States, Lampson worked at variety of jobs, eventually returning to college at University of California (1930-32). From this date his poetry appeared in literary journals. Lampson was a neo-classicist, preferring rhyming sonnet structures to free verse. He supported himself by operating a stamp shop in Richmond, Calif. Following publication of "Laughter out of the ground," Lampson wrote literary criticism and produced radio programs for San Francisco area outlets. He also became an adjunct English instructor at University of California (1937-1941).

Poet and novelist.