Edward Estlin Cummings, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 14, 1894, demonstrated a passion for poetry from a young age, composing verses as early as 1904. He pursued classical studies at Cambridge Latin High School, mastering Latin and Greek. He furthered his education at Harvard University, earning a BA in 1915 and an MA in 1916. His time at Harvard exposed him to the innovative poetry of avant-garde writers such as Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound.

In 1917, Cummings' early poems were included in the anthology "Eight Harvard Poets." That same year, he journeyed to France as a volunteer ambulance driver during World War I. However, his outspoken anti-war sentiments led to his and a friend's imprisonment by French authorities on suspicion of espionage, an experience he later chronicled in his novel, "The Enormous Room."

Following the war, Cummings divided his time between his family's summer home, Joy Farm in New Hampshire, and Greenwich Village, while frequently visiting Paris. He also travelled extensively throughout Europe, connecting with fellow poets and artists, including Pablo Picasso, whose work he greatly admired.

In 1920, "The Dial" published seven of Cummings' poems, including "Buffalo Bill's." This introduction to a wider American audience showcased his experimental style, foreshadowing his exploration of synthetic Cubist techniques in the following years.

Cummings' work was characterized by radical experimentation with form, punctuation, spelling, and syntax. He broke away from traditional poetic conventions to develop a unique and idiosyncratic form of expression. While later in his career he faced criticism for adhering to his established style, he gained considerable popularity, particularly among younger readers, for his accessible language, playful tone, and focus on subjects such as war and sexuality.

Poet and critic Randall Jarrell observed that Cummings was "one of the most individual poets who ever lived," and his popularity stemmed from his poems' "sentimentality, sex, more or less improper jokes, and elementary lyric insistence."

Throughout his life, Cummings received numerous accolades, including an Academy of American Poets Fellowship, two Guggenheim Fellowships, the Charles Eliot Norton Professorship at Harvard, the Bollingen Prize in Poetry in 1958, and a Ford Foundation grant.

At the time of his death on September 3, 1962, he was the second most widely read poet in the United States, after Robert Frost. He is interred at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts.

E.E. Cummings, a graduate of Cambridge Latin High School and Harvard University, where his early poems were featured in "Eight Harvard Poets" (1917), became known as an innovative poet who redefined poetic form and language. His signature style involved sparse, precise language, unconventional placement of words on the page, and the creation of neologisms through word synthesis. He also manipulated grammatical and linguistic rules, assigning unconventional roles and meanings to words. Despite his unconventional approach, Cummings' poems resonated with a broad audience. Randall Jarrell remarked that "no one else has ever made avant-garde, experimental poems so attractive to the general and the special reader." By 1962, Cummings held a prominent position in 20th-century poetry, with John Logan calling him "one of the greatest lyric poets in our language," Stanley Edgar Hyman highlighting his "matchless" poems, and Malcolm Cowley acknowledging his mastery in his "special field."

Cummings' ambition to become a poet began in childhood, and between the ages of eight and twenty-two, he wrote a poem daily, exploring various traditional poetic forms. His interest in modern poetry developed during his time at Harvard in 1916, leading him to experiment with avant-garde techniques, including the disregard of conventional punctuation and syntax, and the exploration of poems as visual objects. In April 1917, he volunteered for the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Service in France. His pacifist beliefs led him to this role. He was stationed on the French-German border with William Slater Brown, and they developed a close friendship. Their attempts to outwit French censors through coded messages in their letters, and their interactions with soldiers, resulted in their detention in Normandy on suspicion of treason in September 1917. Cummings' release was secured in December 1917 through his father's intervention, while Brown was released in April 1918. Cummings was drafted into the U.S. Army in July 1918 and spent six months in training.

Upon his army discharge in January 1919, Cummings resumed a relationship with Elaine Thayer, the wife of his friend Schofield Thayer, with Thayer's approval. Elaine gave birth to Cummings' daughter, Nancy, in December 1919, and Thayer gave the child his name. Cummings married Elaine in 1924, after her divorce, and adopted Nancy, who remained unaware of her true parentage until 1948. Their marriage was short-lived, ending in divorce in 1925.

The early 1920s were a prolific period for Cummings. His first book, "The Enormous Room" (1922), a fictionalized account of his imprisonment, received positive critical reception. The book's optimistic tone and unconventional style depicted his internment as a period of personal growth. David E. Smith noted the book's emphasis on "what the initiate has learned from his journey," while John Dos Passos praised its "infinitely swift and crisply flexible" style. John Peale Bishop deemed it superior to other war-related books.

Cummings' first poetry collection, "Tulips and Chimneys" (1923), showcased his distinctive use of grammar and punctuation, though many poems adhered to conventional language. Subsequent collections, "&" (1925) and "XLI Poems" (1925), further established his reputation. Mark Van Doren described Cummings as a poet with "a richly sensuous mind," and "Dial" magazine awarded him their annual prize in 1925. "Is 5" (1926) included an introduction explaining Cummings' poetic approach, emphasizing poetry as a "process."

Cummings' experimental language, which M.L. Rosenthal described as "blowing open otherwise trite and bathetic motifs," and Richard P. Blackmur characterized as making "familiar, even almost dead words" suddenly impervious to ordinary sense, became his hallmark. Bethany K. Dumas highlighted the impact of his "irregular spacing" and "lowercase letters," which "jarred the reader" and forced a "fresh" perspective. S.I. Hayakawa praised his "childlike perception," and Norman Friedman interpreted his innovations as a means of "stripping the film of familiarity from language."

Cummings' focus on traditional themes like love, childhood, and flowers, coupled with his innovative language, drew both praise and criticism. Stephen E. Whicher noted his ability to create "a sophisticated modern facsimile of the 'naïve' lyricism" of earlier poets, while Jenny Penberthy identified his "nineteenth-century romantic reverence" for nature and his "satirical denouncements" of modern life.

Cummings' satirical work, born from his "strong commitment to the individual," targeted "mass thought, group conformity, and commercialism." His "nonlectures" at Harvard emphasized the "individuality" of art. Bernard Dekle described his "simple faith in the miracle of man's individuality," and John Logan explained his "resistance to the small minds of every kind."

Cummings' love poetry, which Friedman considered his "chief subject of interest," evolved from erotic themes to expressions of "lasting love" and "religious" tones. Robert E. Wegner traced the connection between love and "joy and growth" to Cummings' childhood experiences, while Hyatt H. Waggoner noted the "religious" implications of his later love poems. Rushworth M. Kidder traced the evolution of love in Cummings' work from "popularly romantic notions" to "a purified and radiant idea."

Cummings' play, "Him," and his travel diary, "Eimi," further showcased his artistic range. "Him" explored avant-garde themes through a series of skits, while "Eimi" documented his critical view of the Soviet Union.

Cummings' Charles Eliot Norton lectures at Harvard, published as "i: six nonlectures," provided personal insights into his life and work.

Critics were divided on Cummings' legacy, with detractors citing his lack of stylistic evolution and intellectual depth. Supporters, including James Dickey and M.L. Rosenthal, praised his "daringly original" talent and "manipulation of traditional forms."