Cid Corman, 79; Poet, Translator Founded Literary Journal Origin

Cid Corman, 79, an American poet and translator who lived in Japan for nearly 40 years, died Friday at a hospital in Kyoto after a heart attack.

Corman started his prolific literary life in his teens and published nearly 400 books of poetry, essays and translation.

In 1951, he founded the literary journal Origin, providing an outlet for foreign poems and helping emerging talents get established. Among the poets he introduced in the journal were Charles Olson, Robert Creeley, Denise Levertov and Theodore Enslin.

With his decades of experience in Japan, Corman translated the work of haiku poet Basho Matsuo, “Back Roads to Far Towns: Basho’s Oku-No-Hosomichi” and “One Man’s Moon.”

Born in Roxbury, Mass., Corman earned his bachelor’s degree at Tufts and did graduate work at the University of Michigan.

His recent works include “Sun Rock Man,” “The Despairs,” “And the Word” and “Nothing Doing.”