Engle, Paul, 1908-1991

Paul Engle was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on October 12, 1908. Engle attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, where he graduated cum laude in 1931, emphasizing English literature, American history and languages. In 1932, Paul Engle received his M.A. from the University of Iowa. In the fall of 1933, Paul Engle received the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. He sailed for England, enrolled in Merton College at Oxford University, and began studies under the poet Edmund Blunden. He was awarded a second M.A. degree in 1936, and in July of that year married Mary Nomine Nissen, a former neighbor in Cedar Rapids. After his return to the states in 1937, Engle joined the faculty at the University of Iowa, lecturing primarily on poetry. In 1942, he became professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program. In 1967, Engle and his future second wife, Chinese poet Hua-ling Nieh Engle, co-founded the International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa. The couple's work with foreign writers and their families led them to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1976. Paul retired from his position as director of the IWP in July of 1977. In his retirement from the university, Engle was able to dedicate more time to his writing. Although Paul Engle dedicated a tremendous portion of his professional life to directing writing programs at the University of Iowa, he still managed to find time to raise two daughters from his first marriage, Mary and Sara, as well as two step-daughters, Lan-Lan and Wei-Wei. Throughout his university career, Engle never stopped writing. Over the course of his life, Paul Engle published more than a dozen books of poetry, a novel, a children's book and a full-length libretto. Paul Engle died in March of 1991 at the age of 82.

From the description of Papers of Paul Engle, 1929-1988. (University of Iowa Libraries). WorldCat record id: 233703430

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