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David Kalstone

1933 – 1986

American writer

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About David Kalstone

Lived 1933 – 1986 (aged 52–53). David Kalstone was an American writer and literary critic.

David Kalstone (July 25, 1933 – June 14, 1986) was a gay American writer and literary critic.

Biography Kalstone, born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship and studied at the University of Cambridge. He taught at Harvard University starting in 1959 and was a professor of English at Rutgers University from 1967 until his death.

An authority on the Elizabethan courtier poet Sir Philip Sidney, Kalstone also lectured and wrote about 20th-century poets including Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell. His close friends included the poet James Merrill and the writer Edmund White, who is said to have modeled on Kalstone the character of Joshua in his 1997 novel, The Farewell Symphony.

Merrill wrote the introduction to Becoming a Poet, a study of Elizabeth Bishop and the influence of Marianne Moore and Robert Lowell in helping shape the younger poet's voice. Left incomplete at Kalstone's death due to AIDS, it was published (to considerable acclaim) in 1989.

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Important facts

Born
1933, McKeesport
Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Cambridge
Employers
Rutgers University, Harvard University
Awards
Guggenheim Fellowship; Fulbright Scholarship

People in David Kalstone's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped David Kalstone's

Frequently asked questions

Who was David Kalstone?

American writer

When was David Kalstone born?

David Kalstone was born in 1933 in McKeesport.

When did David Kalstone die?

David Kalstone died on 14 June 1986 in Manhattan.

What was David Kalstone's occupation?

David Kalstone was a writer and literary critic.

What nationality was David Kalstone?

David Kalstone was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: David Kalstone

· Wikidata: Q5235828

· DBpedia: David Kalstone

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). David Kalstone. https://biography.guide/david-kalstone/

MLA: "David Kalstone." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/david-kalstone/.

Chicago: "David Kalstone." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/david-kalstone/.

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