Carl Rakosi (November 6, 1903 – June 24, 2004) was the last surviving member of the Objectivist poets. He was still publishing and performing his poetry well into his 90s.

Early life

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Rakosi was born in Berlin and lived there and in Hungary until 1910 when he moved to the United States to live with his father and stepmother. His father was a jeweler and watchmaker in Chicago and later in Gary, Indiana. The family lived in semi-poverty but contrived to send him to the University of Chicago and then to the University of Wisconsin. At university, he started writing poetry. On graduating, he worked for a time as a social worker, then returned to college to study psychology. At this time, he changed his name to Callman Rawley because he felt he stood a better chance of being employed if he had a more American-sounding name. After a spell as a psychologist and teacher, he returned to social work for the rest of his working life.

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