Conrad Aiken Biography Conrad Aiken (1869-1973) was born in Savannah, Georgia. He received the 1954 National Book Award in poetry for Collected Poems (Oxford University Press) and served as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1950 to 1952. See Work POETRY / Summer 1931 Prelude By Conrad Aiken Spring 1945 Mayflower By Conrad Aiken POETRY / Spring 1934 Prelude By Conrad Aiken Or else a room, and in the room five voices speaking at once and what delicious babble “sherbet” and “velvet” and “purple” and “fragrant” and “loud”— POETRY / Autumn 1935 Prelude By Conrad Aiken As if you were a child again; you smootha little space of sand, with careful fingerspick out a twig, a stone, a scrap of paper, Autumn 1932 Silent Snow, Secret Snow By Conrad Aiken