James Merrill

April 15, 2011 5:29 PM

On living in the James Merrill House by Ivy Pochoda from Writers' Houses. Poems referenced: Willoware Cup :: The Victor Dog :: Mirabell: Books of Number :: Lost in Translation :: Another April :: The Book of Ephraim :: The Mad Scene
posted by puny human (6 comments total)

Fantastic post! I remember seeing a photo somewhere of Merrill lounging in that bookcase/daybed nook thing he had and thinking it was the greatest. I'll build one for myself someday.
posted by otio at 6:18 PM on April 15, 2011

I love James Merrill (my user name is from Lost in Translation). This is a great post.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 7:47 PM on April 15, 2011

Thanks felicity and otio :)

You can see the mirror and the Eames chair she mentions here. There really is something that approaches perfection about that house and its contents. At least for me. And "stardeck"? Yes please.

I think this is my alltime favorite essay on Merrill. From the New Yorker shortly after he died.
posted by puny human at 3:42 PM on April 16, 2011

Very nice, thank you! Merrill and his partner also owned a house in Athens (mentioned in this PDF), but I haven't yet been able to find out where. If I ever do, I'll try to take a photo, if it still exists.
posted by taz at 10:20 PM on April 16, 2011

Oh, also, just btw, there are some recordings on Youtube of James Merrill reading some of his poems. In the search results I'm seeing, you need to scroll down to see "James Merrill Reads Black Swan"; not sure why it isn't included in the first cluster.
posted by taz at 10:34 PM on April 16, 2011

... and a Paris Review two-part interview with Merrill from 1982, long and often amusing.

^{(These are just things I stumbled across while sort of desultorily seeking more info on his Athens home... certainly not suggestions that the original post should have had more links! I like the post as is.)}
posted by taz at 11:50 PM on April 16, 2011 [1 favorite]