Collected Prose

by James Merrill

Following James Merrill’s widely celebrated Collected Poems and Collected Novels and Plays, this volume gives us, most intimately, the man himself and his charmingly straightforward exploration of how he became himself. As much as any poet of our time, Merrill conceived of his work and his life as warp and woof, and the prose collected here (from his juvenilia and occasional pieces through his critical writings to his interviews and memoir) shows how bound up in his craft (itself a recurrent topic) were his readings and reflections, his travels and friendships. Even Merrill’s most devoted readers will be startled anew at the range of his aesthetic concerns and the depth of his knowledge. Dante and Ponge, Cavafy and Montale, Elizabeth Bishop and Wallace Stevens, all figure prominently here, and the volume is shot through with commentary on music, especially opera, and descriptions of the world’s great cities–including New York, Paris, Istanbul, and Kyoto–and their cultural treasures. The volume closes resoundingly with A Different Person, Merrill’s memoir of his young life, in which he travels to Europe to explore the culture, comes of age as a gay man, and faces down his legacy as the son of the renowned financier Charles E. Merrill.

As Merrill remarks to one interviewer here, a poet is “someone choosing the words he lives by.” This volume, a cross section of a singularly complex literary life, showcases the care for verbal nuance and the inimitably varied tones that distinguish this great American writer.

752 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

James Ingram Merrill was born on March 3, 1926, and died on February 6, 1995. From the mid-1950s on, he lived in Stonington, Connecticut, and for extended periods he also had houses in Athens and Key West. From The Black Swan (1946) through A Scattering of Salts (1995), he wrote twelve books of poems, ten of them published in trade editions, as well as The Changing Light at Sandover (1982). He also published two plays, The Immortal Husband (1956) and The Bait (1960); two novels, The Seraglio (1957, reissued in 1987) and The (Diblos) Notebook (1965, reissued 1994); a book of essays, interviews, and reviews, Recitative (1986); and a memoir, A Different Person (1993). Over the years, he was the winner of numerous awards for his poetry, including two National Book Awards, the Bollingen Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and the first Bobbitt Prize from the Library of Congress. He was a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Reviews

[Eric Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This installment of the Knopf Merrill collects his interviews, occasional prose and his wonderful memoir, "A Different Person"--an account of his travels amid other well-heeled young Americans trying to find (or loose) themselves in 1950s Italy. It's kind of like "The Talented Mr. Ripley," only everyone's cultured and sane and non-homicidal. The Merrill tone is unaltered by the switch to prose: he's still funny, wry, and casually wise. But even at his most nonchalant and conversational, Merrill retains a drawly archness that I love. My copy is almost never on the shelf--it's always within reach, on the couch or next to the bed, ready to chat.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of James Merrill's prose is worth it for his memoir "A Different Person" alone - that was simply excellent. He has such a way with words - smart and elegant, while not sounding aloof or arrogant.

"A Different Person" is about the years he spent in Europe in his early twenties, and it's touching, amusing and insightful. At the end of each chapter, there are "notes from the present", putting his memories in perspective, which adds depth to them. It's fascinating to read about how he dealt with his sexuality - "coming to terms" feels like the wrong expression, because it doesn't sound like he didn't want to be gay. It's more how he tried to find a way to be who he was in a world that wasn't maybe as hostile as it would have been if he had come from a less privileged background, but still far from friendly. (And I appreciate how aware of that privilege he was.) Just as interesting is reading about his different relationships and trying to find something- someone- that worked. Memoirs also always help to put my life in perspective - looking back, life can appear a lot more linear and causal than it does while you're in the middle, and you really never know where it'll take you.

As for the other stuff in this collection, the interviews were my other favourite bits. He sounds like he was a truly interesting and fun person to talk to. Some of his writings on other poets and artists were interesting, but I admit a lot of the stuff in the middle didn't always manage to keep my interest. So I'd say four stars for the interviews, five for "A Different Person" and three for the rest.

This book has kept me company for months now, and closing it leaves me feeling a little bereft. I'll follow it up with Furbank's biography on Forster, I think, but I'll put off that decision for a couple of days yet.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merrill’s prose — gorgeous, finely figured, and endlessly digressive — shines brightest in the patches of anecdote and self-reflection, culminating in his luminous, tender, no-holds-barred memoir, A Different Person.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading this collection of interviews and miscellaneous prose pieces. Merrill's voice is always thrilling, and his insights into poetry, thoughtful and interesting. Pick it up if you love his poems.