Mcclatchy, noted poet, writer dies
NEW YORK — J.D. Mcclatchy, a revered and versatile man of letters praised as a poet, librettist, educator, editor and translator, died Tuesday night at his home in Manhattan. He was 72.
Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced that Mcclatchy, known as “Sandy” to his friends, had been battling cancer and died at his home in Manhattan.
Asapoet,mcClatchy was acclaimed for drawing upon a rich and unpredictable range of influences, from classical music to Japanese history, for his perception and intimacy about private life and growing concern about political life, especially after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
His books included “Star Principal,” ”The Rest of the Way,” ”Hazmat,” a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, and, most recently, the 2014 publication “Plundered Hearts.”
He wrote often about the human body, its desires and its failings, observing in “My Mammogram” that “the future each of us blankly awaits/ Was long ago written on the genetic wall.” The poem, from his 1998 collection, “Ten Commandments,” ends with his fears of illness and the body’s transformation.
He is survived by his husband, Chip Kidd, an associate director of cover art at Knopf, and three sisters.