A Different Person: A MemoirA great American poet - winner of every major prize America can offer its poets, from the Pulitzer to the Bollingen - opens his life to us in a memoir that puts wit, sensibility, and elegance of mind to the service of unflinching autobiographical truth. The memoir's central thread is Merrill's thirty-month sojourn in Europe. A youth of twenty-four, born to comfort and privilege, and now at a crossroads, he sets sail in 1950, with a young man's passionate expectations. Having sold his first book of poems, having recently met ("or so I thought") the love of his life, yet beginning to feel constrained by his social circles, and seeing no way into the next phase of his life, he envisions himself returning from his travels "a different person". His vivid stories of encounters across Europe - with friends and lovers, with great cities, with great works of art, with opera, with psychoanalysis, with artists and aristocrats - are followed by postscripts reaching back to childhood and forward towards the present and the person he is. His memoir enthralls as a revelation of a poet's life, as a portrayal of the complexities that bind a son to his parents, and as perhaps the most lucid and inward account we have had of a homosexual life in a world of intellect and art. A fascinating work. A literary event. |
Contents
Decision to go abroad My dearest friend | 3 |
Tony puts one over on the French | 16 |
With my father in Italy Dr Simeons | 30 |
Copyright | |
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American asked Athens Ben Johnson Betty Bill Bill Cannastra Bill Plummer called child Claude Claude's couple crème caramel David Jackson dinner Dr Detre Dr Detre's Dr Simeons dream eyes face father feel felt Freddy Freddy's friends gave glass glow Greek Hadrian's Villa Hagia Sophia hand head hear heart Hubbell Irma Istanbul Italian James Merrill Kimon knew later laugh letters light live look lover Luigi lunch Mina's mind Montale months morning mother never night once opera Oscar Wilde parents Paris party person Peter Hooten photograph piano pillow book play poem poet poetry Poros Ravenna Robert Rolf Roman Rome seemed smile Southampton stay story talk tell things thought told Tony Tony's took turned Umberto voice wanted weeks wine woman words wrote York young