Reluctantly

by Hayden Carruth

Despite being among the most erudite poets of this century, Hayden Carruth has lived his life largely outside academia. This collection of stunning autobiographical essays chronicles a lifetime of wrestling with demons and muses, chronic depression, a suicide attempt, a passionate love of jazz and blues, and unflinching honesty.

Genres: Criticism

250 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Hayden Carruth was an American poet, literary critic, and anthologist known for his distinctive voice, blending formal precision with the rhythms of jazz and the blues. Over a career spanning more than sixty years, he published over thirty books of poetry, as well as essays, literary criticism, and anthologies. His work often explored themes of rural life, hardship, mental illness, and social justice, reflecting both his personal struggles and his political convictions.
Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Carruth studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and later earned an M.A. from the University of Chicago. His early career included serving as editor-in-chief of Poetry and as an advisory editor of The Hudson Review for two decades. He later became poetry editor at Harper’s Magazine and held teaching positions at Johnson State College, the University of Vermont, and Syracuse University, where he influenced a new generation of poets.
Carruth received numerous awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award for Collected Shorter Poems (1992) and the National Book Award for Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey (1996). His later works, such as Doctor Jazz and Last Poems, further cemented his reputation as a major voice in American poetry. His influential anthology The Voice That Is Great Within Us remains a landmark collection of American verse.

Reviews

[cowgirl sushi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent set of essays--personal, intimate, easy to read. A very unusual and interesting man who lived with serious mental health issues. He tried to kill himself several times and ended up teaching at Syracuse University in New York.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal essays that are structured to give a sketch of the poet's life. I can see the interest in a volume like this since Carruth was so withdrawn. There are some interviews later in his life that I find to be more powerful.

[Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carruth is an outstanding writer, even beyond his poetry. The writing is crisp and clean, even as you can feel old age settling in towards the end of the work. His bridging segment “Suicide” is the most compelling collection of thoughts on the subject I’ve ever encountered. There was a chunk in the last third where he talked at length about jazz, an art I find repellant, so I felt a little lost for a while, but the rest of the book proves I could read him write about virtually anything else.

[Parker Bracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guy’s kinda awesome

[Mills College Library]

811.54 C3198r 1998