Born in Brooklyn, Chester Kallman studied at Brooklyn College and the University of Michigan.

As the lifelong partner of W. H. Auden, the two collaborated on the libretto for Stravinsky’s opera The Rake’s Progress. Kallman and Auden also translated many opera libretti into singable English verse, including Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, and Falstaff. Kallman also published four volumes of his own poetry.

–Christie Finn