Charles Guenther

Italy in 1973 decorated Guenther with a knighthood with its Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica (Order of Merit of the Italian Republic). Other nations also honored Guenther for his work in translating their native poets into English, many for the first time. About the work of translation, Guenther wrote, "In a great poem there is something magic, a haunting spirit. It's so rare that you keep looking for it.”

In 1953 Guenther began writing literary reviews for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, retiring from that position in 2003. He also wrote for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat from 1972 to 1982. Guenther said he considered reviewing a "civic honor." In his work as a newspaper book critic, he reviewed work by hundreds of authors, such as Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes, William Stafford, Mona Van Duyn and Anthony Hecht.

Guenther translated thousands of poems into English from languages such as French, Italian, Spanish, Eskimo, Greek, German and Hungarian. He corresponded with scores of authors, including Ezra Pound, Kirkwood, Mo. native Marianne Moore, and E. E. Cummings. Ezra Pound, who Guenther met in 1951, was a great influence on Guenther's work, particularly his translations.

In an essay entitled "Reflections," from the book Three Faces of Autumn," Guenther credits Ezra Pound as an early influence on his work. The two met in 1951 when Guenther visited Pound while he was incarcerated at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C. Guenther said, "It was the start of a lively correspondence with this fascinating, obstinate poet who had put new vigor into American literature."

A poem by José Agustín Goytisolo (entitled "The Difficult Poem"), which Guenther translated and is the last selection in The Hippopotamus: Selected Translations 1945–1985, seems to sum up the translation process:

Charles Guenther (April 29, 1920 – July 24, 2008) was an American poet, critic and translator. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His book, Phrase/Paraphrase, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry.