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James Merrill

Born

in New York, New York, The United States

March 03, 1926

Died

February 06, 1995

Genre

Poetry, Literature & Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs

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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, includi ...more

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James Merrill’s books

Average rating: 4.1 · 2,129 ratings · 211 reviews · 119 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Changing Light at Sandover by James Merrill, Stephen Yenser (Editor), J.D. McClatchy (Editor) 4.25 avg rating — 517 ratings — published 1982 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Collected Poems by James Merrill, Stephen Yenser (Editor), J.D. McClatchy (Editor) 4.24 avg rating — 429 ratings — published 2001 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Scattering of Salts 3.90 avg rating — 96 ratings — published 1995 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Different Person: A Memoir 3.89 avg rating — 84 ratings — published 1993 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Selected Poems, 1946-1985 4.08 avg rating — 73 ratings — published 1992 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Divine Comedies: Poems 4.26 avg rating — 66 ratings — published 1976 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Book of Ephraim by James Merrill, Stephen Yenser (Editor) 3.90 avg rating — 71 ratings — published 2017 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Selected Poems of James Merrill by James Merrill, J.D. McClatchy (Editor), Stephen Yenser (Editor) 3.90 avg rating — 67 ratings — published 1961 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nights and Days 3.98 avg rating — 46 ratings — published 1966 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	(Diblos) Notebook 3.41 avg rating — 39 ratings — published 1965 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by James Merrill (?)

“The day is breaking someone else's heart.”
― James Merrill

20 likes

“Freedom to be oneself is all very well; the greater freedom is not to be oneself.”
― James Merrill, A Different Person: A Memoir

tags: freedom

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“Nor do I try to keep a garden, only
An avocado in a glass of water --
Roots pallid, gemmed with air. And later,

When the small gilt leaves have grown
Fleshy and green, I let them die, yes, yes,
And start another. I am earth's no less.”
― James Merrill, Collected Poems

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James Merrill’s Followers (66)

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James Merrill

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