James Merrill | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Merrill in 1973 | |
| Born | James Ingram Merrill March 3, 1926 New York City, US |
| Died | February 6, 1995 (aged 68) Tucson, Arizona, US |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Education | Amherst College (BA) |
| Genre | American poetry |
| Notable works | The Changing Light at Sandover, Divine Comedies, Nights and Days |
| Notable awards | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, National Book Award, Bollingen Prize |
| Partner | David Jackson Peter Hooten |
| Parents | Charles E. Merrill (father) |
| Relatives | Charles E. Merrill, Jr. (brother) Peter Magowan (nephew) |
James Ingram Merrill (March 3, 1926 – February 6, 1995) was an American poet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1977 for Divine Comedies. His poetry falls into two distinct bodies of work: the polished and formalist lyric poetry of his early career, and the epic narrative of occult communication with spirits and angels, titled The Changing Light at Sandover (published in three volumes from 1976 to 1980), which dominated his later career. Although most of his published work was poetry, he also wrote essays, fiction, and plays.