Joseph Brodsky was a Russian-American poet and essayist, born on May 24, 1940, in Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg. He became known for his powerful and evocative poetry, which often explored themes of exile, identity, and the human condition. In 1964, he was exiled from the Soviet Union for his dissenting views and later settled in the United States. Brodsky received numerous awards for his literary work, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987. He was also appointed as the United States Poet Laureate in 1991. His contributions to literature continue to influence poets and writers around the world.