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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 44
Page 73
... play with a grimace , wished Robin sweet dreams , and switched off the pink - shaded bedside lamp . It was a ... play that , " says Claude ) and the Beethoven Opus 111 , difficult both to play and to hear , Schnabel having omitted it ...
... play with a grimace , wished Robin sweet dreams , and switched off the pink - shaded bedside lamp . It was a ... play that , " says Claude ) and the Beethoven Opus 111 , difficult both to play and to hear , Schnabel having omitted it ...
Page 255
... play , stumbled out , making remarks I'd have pre- ferred not to hear and dragging after them the audience's at- tention , along with poor Kimon himself . ( " What could I do ? " he said next day on the phone . " Dylan wanted a drink ...
... play , stumbled out , making remarks I'd have pre- ferred not to hear and dragging after them the audience's at- tention , along with poor Kimon himself . ( " What could I do ? " he said next day on the phone . " Dylan wanted a drink ...
Page 266
... playing with lightning . " Besides , who at thirty wants to spend hours each day communing with the dead ? Past fifty ... play myself , and each day now begins with the magic of having wrinkles painted out , temples darkened , eyes and ...
... playing with lightning . " Besides , who at thirty wants to spend hours each day communing with the dead ? Past fifty ... play myself , and each day now begins with the magic of having wrinkles painted out , temples darkened , eyes and ...
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 | |
11 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
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