James Merrill's Poetry Manuscripts

Introduction

“. . . even before the poem is fully drafted, my endless revisions begin
—the one dependable pleasure in the whole process.”

James Merrill interview with Donald Sheehan (Collected Prose, p. 61).

This site provides an introduction and background to selected poems of James Merrill. It features important poems that also have interesting manuscripts, and includes journals and editorial notes. The sections of this site are linked to the paths indicated in the left margin.

Permission to quote from Merrill's work should be made through the Wylie Agency Permissions Website and also through Washington University's Department of Special Collections. If you find any text or image on this site used in violation of copyright, please notify Timothy Materer at Materert@missouri.edu.

For more James Merrill resources at Washington University Libraries, including other digital exhibits, see the James Merrill page on their website.

Credits

Timothy Materer, Author

Introduction

“. . . even before the poem is fully drafted, my endless revisions begin—the one dependable pleasure in the whole process.”

James Merrill interview with Donald Sheehan (Collected Prose, p. 61).

Credits

“. . . even before the poem is fully drafted, my endless revisions begin
—the one dependable pleasure in the whole process.”