Hillyer, Robert

Hillyer, Robert (Silliman) (1895–1961) poet, teacher; born in East Orange, N.J. He studied at Harvard (B.A. 1917) where he was a publisher of Eight Harvard Poets (1917), a volume including the work of Hillyer, e. e. cummings, and John Dos Passos, among others. After graduation, he and Dos Passos served in the ambulance corps in France. Hillyer taught at Harvard (1919–20), wrote essays, novels, and many volumes of reflective poetry, notably The Seventh Hall (1928). He taught at Trinity College (1926–28), returned to Harvard (1928–45), became a visiting professor at various institutions, then taught at the University of Delaware (1952–61). Traditional in his own work and conservative in his tastes, he often found himself at odds with the prevailing literary modes and movements.