Archibald MacLeish: An American Life

by Scott Donaldson

Some of the greatest poets--Victor Hugo, Paul Claudel, George Seferis, Pablo Neruda, St.-John Perse--have also been public figures, but in the history of twentieth-century American poetry, Archibald MacLeish stands alone.

Genres: Biography

672 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1992

About the author

Scott Donaldson was one of the nation's leading literary biographers. His books include the acclaimed Edwin Arlington Robinson: A Poet's Life and Archibald MacLeish: An American Life, which won the Ambassador Book Award for biography. His other works are Poet in America: Winfield Townley Scott; By Force of Will: The Life and Art of Ernest Hemingway; Fool for Love: F. Scott Fitzgerald; John Cheever: A Biography; and Hemingway vs. Fitzgerald: The Rise and Fall of a Literary Friendship.

Reviews

[Fastidious Kingdoms · Rating 3 out of 5]

a slog

Many of the sections pulsed with interest, particularly Archie’s years writing for Fortune, overhauling the Library of Congress, and teaching writing at Harvard. Sadly, the author overlooks so much in crafting this biography. Instead, he spends pages and pages, equalling days and days of my life, to recapping the critical reception for each of his books. He then spends far too much time waving his lit crit wand over the passages Donaldson included for his work.

Had he not focused so heavily on the works, he could have investigated the reason for the works. For example, Archie spent the 1920s in Paris. Tell me what he learned from other writers. And what did he learn about structure and composition from the artists he knew?

So many of those friendships lasted a lifetime, yet are given short shrift. Dos Passos falls off the stage soon after his wife dies. More egregiously, Donaldson doesn’t give the Macleish friendship with the Murphy’s its full do. JB, in fact, was inspired by the tragedy of the Murphys’ lives, yet Donaldson doesn’t note it. In addition, why did Macleish name Job’s nameless wife Sarah?


Finally, Donaldson repeatedly says that there was no record of Ada being upset about his affairs. If that is your answer, then you haven’t looked hard enough for her reaction. I guarantee you she would have been upset that her husband wanted to run off with another man’s wife. Several hundred pages in there was a brief scene where her son found her upset. With that, Donaldson contradicted himself. At any rate, we needed to hear more about Ada and her decision to stay with this man.


I can’t bring myself to buy this book because Archie was a womanizer and a bad father.

[Maryann Zulueta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative about a humanistic poet whom I had met many years ago with my uncle, an architect in Greenfield, at MacLeish's Conway home. This excellent biography is spoiled by lack of a much needed index which outstanding biographies usually have; thus, not a five star reading(review by Dianne, not Maryann)

[Marilyn Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poet and man

Scott Donaldson does an admirable job of presenting both the poet and the man in this very comprehensive book on the long life and ventures of this American poet.

[Homerun2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Very detailed life story of a man who lived in a fascinating time and was friends with several generations of famous poets, writers, and statesmen. He himself was a blend of romantic poet and competent Scotsman. Reading about MacLeish' many accomplishments, while worthwhile, never quite revealed his personality and humanity.

[Joe Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as research for a piece I was writing about MacLeish for an ABA magazine.

[Andrew Stout]

Read chapters 15-18, covering his time as the Librarian of Congress.