Let Us Watch Richard Wilbur: A Biographical Study

by Robert Bagg

Pulitzer Prize--winning poet Richard Wilbur (b. 1921) is part of a notable literary cohort, American poets who came to prominence in the mid-twentieth century. Wilbur's verse is esteemed for its fluency, wit, and optimism; his ingeniously rhymed translations of French drama by Moliere, Racine, and Corneille remain the most often staged in the English-speaking world; his essays possess a scope and acumen equal to the era's best criticism. This biography examines the philosophical and visionary depth of his world-renowned poetry and traces achievements spanning seventy years, from political editorials about World War II to war poems written during his service to his theatrical career, including a contentious collaboration with Leonard Bernstein and Lillian Hellman.

Wilbur's life has been mistakenly seen as blessed, lacking the drama of his troubled contemporaries. Let Us Watch Richard Wilbur corrects that view and explores how Wilbur's perceived "normality" both enhanced and limited his achievement. The authors augment the life story with details gleaned from access to his unpublished journals, family archives, candid interviews they conducted with Wilbur and his wife, Charlee, and his correspondence with Robert Lowell, Elizabeth Bishop, John Berryman, John Malcolm Brinnin, James Merrill, and others."

388 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2017

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not read this biography if all you want is a straightforward biography of a great American writer. For anyone interested in writing, prose or poetry, or famous 20th century figures, this is definitely a book to try.

The writing itself is wonderful, but the authors engage in frequent, occasionally lengthy explications of Wilbur's poetry (which had the unfortunate effect of sometimes making me lose the thread of the story). Some of the book will be lost on readers who are not well-versed in 20th century American writers, various poets, and rhyme and meter.

I only have one serious complaint about the book: it barely touches on the Wilburs as parents. The births of several children (unless I missed it) aren't even mentioned. Charlee (Wilbur's wife) is constantly describing her fantastic experiences involving exotic cities, dazzling intellectuals, and alcohol, leaving me with increasing frustration (and a few times, anger) because this was a woman was a parent with 4 young children. In fairness, the Wilburs' struggles with their youngest son's autism are detailed at length, and that chapter is one of the most painful. However, the day-to-day, year-to-year relationships or efforts of the Wilburs toward their children are almost entirely absent from the book. I simply do not understand how the Wilburs reconciled their lifestyle with parenthood, and I am very surprised that the authors did not address such a glaring conflict.

Those comments aside, I enjoyed myself immensely while reading this book! The authors so clearly love Wilbur, are able to articulate his genius, and gently but deliciously take some of his critics to task. A reviewer on another site said that they felt they were reading a story about a beloved older brother, and I would agree with that. The authors capture what was unique about Wilbur: his (comparative) normalcy, his quietness, his restrained joy, his clear-eyed wonder at the natural world.

[Emily Strom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this bio of Wilbur - made homework v. enjoyable. So many fun anecdotes and interesting facts! His wife Charlee played a big role in both his life and his work which I wasn't quite expecting, but I thought their level of intellectual friendship/companionship was very special. Wilbur is just such a stand-up fellow and I love him already. I also felt like I learned a lot about the literary world of the time through his relationship with other poets and critics which was neat.

Getting stoked to read more of his poetry!!!

[Cooper Renner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, sympathetic biography