Remembering William Carlos Williams

by James Laughlin

A lifetime of memories, a lifetime of writing, a lifetime of publishing (since 1936)––what to do, how to say it, what is the organic form? If you are James Laughlin, founder and publisher of New Directions, poet and friend of poets, you adapt the narrative metric of one friend (Kenneth Rexroth) to tell the very personal stories of your other friends with verve, compassion, and a shrewd eye to the emotional truth of complex relationships. You call the whole memoir  Byways , parts of which have begun to appear in literary journals. But one part stands alone in your affections. The section “Remembering William Carlos Williams” grows of its own accord and captures a relationship so perfectly that you decide to do it up as a little book and share it with a few friends who, like the late James Merrill, are “I have been so delighted by your little book on Williams. The charm of the presentation, the counterpoint of narrative, anecdote and illustration, could not be greater. It seems to be a perfect model for books that might follow it, while I cannot think of any precedent for what you’ve done.’ To reach a wider audience,  Remembering William Carlos Williams  is now available in this New Directions Paperbook Original edition.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

James Laughlin was an American poet and literary book publisher who founded New Directions Publishing.

One of Laughlin's most anthologized works is "Step on His Head", a poem about his relationship with his children.

Reviews

[Sarah Schaeffer]

Interesting format, intriguing brief history of Williams' significant relationships and efforts, fascinating bits about his intertwined careers and his attempts to establish the "variable foot."

[Elizabeth]

This wasn't exactly what I expected, but I still really liked it. It was an interesting look into the struggle to claim WCW's rightful position as celebrated American poet, and of the development of the actual form his poetry took. I have to say, I had a small twinge of anger reading about his affairs and how Floss, his wife (and second choice to begin with) lived with it. But it doesn't diminish how much I like his poetry. I especially liked the idea of him jotting down ideas for poems on prescription pads from his medical practice—the whole vocation vs. avocation concept is especially notable for him, and it's interesting how one informs the other.

[Mikael]

mediocre just like me