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Ezra was born in Hailey, Idaho. He moved to an area outside of Philidelphia early in his life and spent most of his childhood there.
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Pound enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania but transferred to Hamilton College two years later, where he earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy. At this point, Pound knew he wanted to be a poet. His parents were supportive of this choice.
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He finished college and accepted a teaching position at Wabash College in India. However, he left soon after beginning.
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Ezra Pound moved to Venice with only $80 in hopes of making a name for himself in the world of poetry. He published his first poetry book, "A Lume Spento," with his own money.
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In late 1908, Pound visited London, where he befriended many established writers such as William Butler Yeats and Ford Madox Ford.
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Throughout the course of 1909, Pound published three books, "Personae," "Exultations" and "The Spirit of Romance." All of them were well received by critiques. Ezra also began to write reviews and edit for well known publications.
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Pound and several other poets formed a movement called imagism, which sought to bring clarity of expression by means of concise images. Other founders of the movement included Amy Lowell, Richard Aldington, William Carlos Williams, Hilda Doolittle (H.D.) and F.S. Flint. Pound left the movement a few years later out of frustration of not being able to control where the movement was going.
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After living in London for 12 years, Pound moves to Paris.
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Pound moves yet again, this time to the city of Rapallo, Italy. The following year he has a daughter with an American violinist, and the year after he has a son with his wife Dorothy.
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"The Cantos" is a long form poem that Pound had began working on in 1915. The first section of it was published at this time, and the rest appearing throughout the following years. "The Cantos" explored economic and political issues following World War I and is considered to be one of his most famous works.
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Pound's interest in economic issues grew. He began to support fascist theories, eventually promoting the rule of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
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Pound visited the USA at this time with intentions of preventing war between his home country and Italy. He was unsuccessful, and when he arrived in Italy he immediately denounce the American government, proclaimed his support for Mussolini and claimed that Jewish bankers had caused war in America.
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Partisans arrested Pound, handing him to the U.S. He was held in a detention center near Pisa for six months before being sent to the United States to go on trial for treason. However, before standing trial, he was declared insane and was then sent to St. Elizabeth's Mental Hospital until Robert Frost led a successful campaign to free him in 1958.
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Pound published "Drafts and Fragments of Cantos CX-CXVII" in 1969. Although saidto be one of his best pieces as well as a "masterpiece," Ezra considered it to be a failed work of poetry.
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Ezra Pound passed away on November 1st of 1972. He had published over 70 books and written more than 1,500 articles.
