John Berryman
author profile
born
October 25, 1914
died
January 07, 1972
gender
male
place of birth
McAlester, Oklahoma, The United States
genre
Poetry
influences
Yeats
about this author
John Allyn Berryman (originally John Allyn Smith) was an American poet, born in McAlester, Oklahoma. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and often considered one of the founders of the Confessional school of poetry. He was the author of The Dream Songs, which are playful, witty, and morbid. Berryman committed suicide in 1972.
Of his youthful self he said, 'I didn't want to be like Yeats; I wanted to be Yeats.'
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avg rating: 4.30
| 1,574 ratings
| 156 reviews
| 40 distinct works
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More books by John Berryman…
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The Dream Songs by John Berryman avg rating 4.45 — 691 ratings — published 1969 4 editions |
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77 Dream Songs by John Berryman avg rating 4.55 — 85 ratings — published 1964 5 editions |
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John Berryman: Collected Poems 1937-1971 by John Berryman avg rating 4.43 — 68 ratings — published 1989 2 editions |
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Homage to Mistress Bradstreet by John Berryman avg rating 3.90 — 39 ratings — published 1956 2 editions |
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John Berryman: Selected Poems by John Berryman avg rating 4.46 — 28 ratings — published 2004 |
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Recovery by John Berryman avg rating 3.24 — 25 ratings — published 1973 3 editions |
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Berryman's Sonnets by John Berryman avg rating 4.28 — 18 ratings — published 1967 |
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Love & fame (Noonday) by John Berryman avg rating 3.45 — 20 ratings — published 1970 3 editions |
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Berryman's Shakespeare by John Berryman avg rating 3.67 — 12 ratings — published 1999 3 editions |
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His Toy, His Dream, His Rest: 308 Dream Songs by John Berryman avg rating 4.44 — 9 ratings — published 1968 2 editions |
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"You should always be trying to write a poem you are unable to write, a poem you lack the technique, the language, the courage to achieve. Otherwise you're merely imitating yourself, going nowhere, because that's always easiest."
— John Berryman
— John Berryman
"Life, friends, is boring. We must not say so.
After all, the sky flashes, the great sea yearns,
we ourselves flash and yearn"
— John Berryman (The Dream Songs)
After all, the sky flashes, the great sea yearns,
we ourselves flash and yearn"
— John Berryman (The Dream Songs)
topics mentioning this author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Book Challenge: 'Variety Is The Spice Of Life' Challenge | 62 | 512 | Aug 04, 2009 05:41PM |
