William Carlos Williams was born in Rutherford, New Jersey, the son of a New York businessman. The young Williams received schooling in Switzerland and France, as well as America, a fact that lead to his speaking Spanish (his mother was a native of Puerto Rico), French and English.

At the turn of the century, Williams was accepted into dental school at the University of Pennsylvania. Soon after, he transferred to the medical school where he would begin his long-lived relationship with the likes of Ezra Pound, Hilda Doolittle, and Charles Demuth.

The would-be physician published his first collection of poems in 1909. After studying pediatrics in Germany, Williams traveled to the Netherlands, France, England, and Spain before opening his own medical practice in Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1912. One year later Williams published his second collection of poetry, "The Tempers," in London.

Williams was more interested in being a writer than he was a physician. In the late 1920's Williams traveled to Europe where encountered the likes of Pound, Gertrude Stein and James Joyce. Throughout, he continuously published works of poetry, short stories and even an opera. By the time that his complete collected work of poetry appeared in 1938, Williams was seen more as a writer of prose than poetry.

By 1950, Williams' writing career was at the pinnacle of the profession. At that time he was presented the National Book Award for his work, "Selected Poems and Paterson III." But years of working as both a physician and writer had taken a toll. In March of 1951, Williams had a stroke, forcing his retirement from medical practice. However, he continued to write and in 1953 he was awarded the Bollingen Prize for Poetry along with Archibald MacLeish for that year.

By late 1955, Williams had yet another, this time paralyzing stroke. Still he taught himself to speak again and even type with his one unparalyzed hand on an electric typewriter. He continued to publish extensively, turning out a wide variety of work. In 1963 after his death, he was awarded the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

Considered a post-modernist, Williams' work was known for its spirit of adventure and its lack of symbolism. Analysts see Williams' purpose as not that of teaching a lesson but to have his readers see through his eyes the beauty of the world.

Transitional

First he said:
It is the woman in us
That makes us write--
Let us acknowledge it--
Men would be silent.
We are not men
Therefore we can speak
And be conscious
(of the two sides)
Unbent by the sensual
As befits accuracy.

I then said:
Dare you make this
Your propaganda?

And he answered:
Am I not I--here?