David Ferry, a poet and translator, passed away at the age of 99 on Sunday in Lexington, Mass. He was known for his emotionally resonant work that explored the divide between the knowable and the unknowable. Late in his career, he received widespread praise and honors, including the National Book Award at the age of 86. Ferry spent nearly 40 years teaching literature at Wellesley College and published two books during that time. However, it was after his retirement in 1989 that he became known for his productivity, writing 10 books over the next 34 years.
Ferry’s translation work gained him significant recognition. His translation of the ancient Babylonian epic “Gilgamesh” in 1993 was highly regarded and considered the best modern rendering of the text. He later translated works by the Roman poets Horace and Virgil, including Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid.” Despite his success as a translator, Ferry’s poetry was sometimes overlooked until he won the National Book Award in 2012 for “Bewilderment: New Poems and Translations.” His poetry often drew on translation and explored themes of bewilderment and the slipperiness of the world.
Throughout his career, Ferry admired poets like Robert Frost and Wallace Stevens and wrote in a direct and devastating style. His poems were rich and contained layers of meaning that rewarded repeated readings. Metaphors were used sparingly and precisely. Ferry’s final book, “Some Things I Said,” is set to be published in December.
David Russell Ferry was born on March 5, 1924, in Orange, N.J. He studied English at Amherst College before serving in the Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war, he returned to college and graduated in 1946. Ferry went on to receive a Ph.D. in literature from Harvard and began teaching at Wellesley College. He met his wife, Anne Davidson, while teaching there, and they married in 1958. After retiring from Wellesley, Ferry taught at Boston University and Suffolk University. He is survived by his son, daughter, and two grandchildren.
On the day before his death, Ferry received an advance copy of his final book, “Some Things I Said,” and his family and friends held an impromptu reading by his bedside.