EE Cummings
Poet
Experimental poet and author who shattered rules of syntax to reveal meaning. His best-known works include The Enormous Room, Tulips and Chimneys, and No Thanks.
He began writing poetry when he was only eight years old. He further developed his dynamic, modern style while he was a student at Harvard.
He held conservative political views, a fact that seems incongruent with his radical, rule-breaking literary persona.
He was married three times -- to Elaine Orr, Anne Minnerly Barton, and Marion Morehouse -- and had one daughter.
He was influenced by the poetry of Amy Lowell.