Synopses & Reviews
"No one has attempted so knowing and evocative a description of this literary milieu. . . . Davidson's approach is both novel and illuminating. He presents his authors individually [and as] a group, carefully tracing their relation to one another. . . . He is uniquely qualified to chronicle the complex story. He is the ultimate literary Boston insider--not only the longtime poetry editor for the but successively a key editor at three major publishing houses. The author of nine volumes of poetry, he knew all the major characters of his narrative personally. . . . [His book] provides a candid, first-hand account of the mid-century poetic revolution." --Dana Gioia,
Review
"In this combination memoir and literary study, Peter Davison examines the poets and poetry scene in Boston between 1955 and 1960.These years were an auspicious time in that city's literary history, and Peter Davison knew—intimately, socially, or professionally—a virtual who's who of important poets. These include Robert Frost, Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and W.S.Merwin. Davison's position as a poet gave him an insider's view of things, but his job as a book editor at times kept him near the fringes of activity. The other poets seem to view him primarily as an editor, and one of the book's most interesting episodes involves Sylvia Plath deftly working this connection. Davison augments his own recollections with information from published books, private documents, and interviews with other writers. The interviews, particularly, lead to interesting new perspectives on several writers, most notably Adrienne Rich, who Donald Hall and W.S.Merwin remember quite differently than she portrayed herself in the 1960"s and 70"s. This book will inevitably draw comparisons with Eileen Simpson's
Poets in their Youth, and with good reason. Simply put, both are historically important, insightful documents that are also a pleasure to read." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
This extraordinary account, by a participant who knew them all, offers vivid reminiscences of Robert Lowell, Adrienne Rich, Stanley Kunitz, Sylvia Plath, Richard Wilbur, Anne Sexton, W. S. Merwin, and many others who interacted with each other and shaped American poetry at mid-century.
About the Author
Peter Davison edited the twenty volumes of Orwell's Complete Works (with Ian Angus and Sheila Davison).