Wilson, Theodore Carl, 1912-1950.

Theodore Carl Wilson (1912-1950) was an American poet and critic who wrote for numerous literary journals and corresponded with many leading literary figures of his day.

From the description of T. C. Wilson Papers (1928-1947). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702132894

Theodore Carl Wilson, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter E. Wilson, was reared in Columbus, Ohio, where he attended public schools. A voracious reader at an early age, Wilson wrote book reviews for a local newspaper while still in high school and had several juvenile poems published by the time he was sixteen.

Wilson graduated from Ohio State University in 1932 with a major in English. He subsequently enrolled in a Master's program in English at the University of Michigan (1933-1935) and presumably completed this degree. While at Michigan, he won the Hopwood Award for literary merit.

Serving with Ezra Pound, James Laughlin, and several others as editor of the Bozart-Westminster poetry anthology of Oglethorpe College for 1935, Wilson began an exchange of letters with Pound, who greatly influenced his early conception of poetical style and the social obligations of the creative author.

During the 1930s Wilson published poems, reviews, and articles in leading journals such as The Nation, Hound and Horn, Poetry, and The Saturday Review of Literature . His poetry of this period often reflects his interest and involvement in socialism. In 1937 he served as American representative for the British publication Life and Letters Today .

Wilson counted among his friends and advisors such well-known authors as Elizabeth Bishop, Horace Gregory, Marianne Moore, and William Carlos Williams. His poetry and prose won the praise of Pound, T. S. Eliot, Morton Zabel, and other prominent literary figures.

After serving in the U. S. Army in World War II, Wilson found it difficult to pick up his literary career, although he worked on both poetry and a projected book of literary criticism. He died while living at the Marlton Hotel in New York City in 1950 at the age of thirty-eight.

From the guide to the T. C. Wilson Papers, (1928-1947), (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)