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Komunyakaa, Yusef
Identification African American poet
Born April 29, 1947; Bogalusa, Louisiana
After receiving the Pulitzer Prize in poetr y in 1994, Ko-
munyakaa achieved even greater attention, noted as one
of the most lauded African American poets.
One of the foremost African American poets of his
time, Yusef Komunyakaa wrote and edited a variety
of poetry collections during the 1990’s. Komun-
yakaa’s poetry collectionMagic City, published in
1992, explores themes from the author’s childhood
in the rural American South. His poems illustrate a
child’s growing awareness of civil rights issues, racial
identity, and his place in a rapidly changing commu-
nity and world.Magic Citycontinues the themes
found in his earlier volumesCopacetic(1984) andI
Apologize for the Eyes in My Head(1986).
It was his next volume of poetry,Neon Vernacular:
New and Selected Poems, however, that received the
most critical attention. A compilation of his best
work from previous poetry collections, along with
strong new poetry, this book explores several themes
that recur in Komunyakaa’s work: the African Amer-
ican experience, the Vietnam War, and jazz and
blues music. It was this volume of poetry that won
Komunyakaa the 1994 Pulitzer Prize in poetry. That
same year, he also received the Kingsley Tufts Poetry
Award and the William Faulkner Prize from the
Université de Rennes, also forNeon Vernacular.
In 1998, Komunyakaa publishedThieves of Para-
dise, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle
Award. This collection was influenced by the poet’s
experience in Australia and reflects his interest in
the culture of the Aborigines. Other accolades and
awards Komunyakaa received in the 1990’s include
the Thomas Forcade Award (1991), the Hanes Po-
etry Prize (1997), and the Morton Dauwen Zabel
Award from the American Academy of Arts and Let-
ters (1998). In 1999, he was named a chancellor of
the Academy of American Poets.
In addition to publishing his volumes of poetry,
Komunyakaa coedited two poetry collections,The
Jazz Poetr y Anthology(1991) andThe Second Set: The
Jazz Poetr y Anthology(1996), with poet and jazz musi-
cian Sascha Feinstein. These collections feature the
work of many major American poets. Komunyakaa
also worked with scholar Martha Collins in translat-
ing Nguyen Quang Thieu’s poetry collection,The In-
somnia of Fire, published in 1995.Impact Yusef Komunyakaa’s impact on American
poetry during the 1990’s was significant. His Pulitzer
Prize-winning work,Neon Vernacular, directed atten-
tion to important political and social issues, includ-
ing the aftermath of the Civil Rights movement, the
Vietnam War, and their effects on several genera-
tions of Americans. His work with other writers also
expanded awareness of jazz poetry and the poetry of
Vietnamese writer Nguyen Quang Thieu. Komun-490 Komunyakaa, Yusef The Nineties in America
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa in 1996.(AP/
Wide World Photos)