Lucie Brock-Broido
A poet of lavish, gothic imagination whose intricate verse created a world of myth, history, and haunting beauty.
1956–2018 (age 62)·American writer·Birthday: May 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
Lucie Brock-Broido's poetry existed in a realm of its own making, a densely woven tapestry of archaic language, personal myth, and startling imagery. Her work, from her debut 'A Hunger' onward, resisted easy categorization, drawing from sources as varied as Emily Dickinson, fairy tales, and the chronicles of historical eccentrics. She cultivated a persona as distinctive as her verse, often dressed in black, surrounded by collections of curious objects in her Cambridge apartment. For decades, she was a magnetic and demanding presence in the classroom, first at Harvard and later at Columbia, where she directed the poetry program. Her teaching was legendary, shaping the sensibilities of a generation of major poets who came after her. Her final collection, 'Stay, Illusion,' grappled with mortality and loss with a piercing clarity that confirmed her status as a singular voice in American letters.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Lucie was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Lucie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Lucie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2018Died at 62
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- Published four critically admired collections of poetry, including 'A Hunger' and the National Book Award finalist 'Stay, Illusion.'
- Served as the Director of Poetry in the Writing Program at Columbia University's School of the Arts.
- Was awarded the prestigious Witter Bynner Fellowship from the Library of Congress.
- Mentored a generation of prominent poets, including former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith.
Did You Know?
She legally added "Broido" to her surname in her twenties, honoring her stepfather.
She was a passionate collector of taxidermy, glass eyes, and other curiosities.
She held prestigious residencies at both Harvard University and Princeton University.
“I am interested in the music of the sentence, the music of the line, the music of the heart.”
