Comments on: Berryman’s The Dream Songs

By: the death of the death of love « Owl’s Clover

the death of the death of love « Owl’s Clover — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:52:33 +0000

[...] 20.10.09, 19.52 Filed under: cauchemar First sentence of my paper: “In Berryman’s Dream Song 48, the speaker has a conversation with Jesus, but it goes [...]

By: Shanna

Shanna — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 03:49:48 +0000

Hello,

I am so delighted to have run across these wonderful discussions of a poet who is so important to me. Thank you! –I am a little concerned to hear that B’s wife is selling his books. I really thought they had all been given to the U Minnesota Library, where Richard Kelly (at least, until his recent retirement) did such a great job of making them available. Richard Kelly also compiled a book called “JB’s Personal Library” which not only gives a list of all of Berryman’s books, but also describes the sort of markings Berryman had made in them — a great help for us to see which books were most influential for him. So I am wondering, does anyone have more information on this sale? Is it something she is doing by auction, or is she just simply selling them to whoever passes by? …I sort of can’t bear to think of this happening! I’d appreciate any information.

By: noel

noel — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:02:00 +0000

thanks for Theresa.
climbing a tree: There was a tree in Chris’s (Sonnets to Chris, his paramoure) garden. Berryman and Lowell challenged each other climbing the tree and Berryman was behind, which Berryman thot might indicate their “fame”. Also, if u like, this may be an act of “writing poetry”. Re. Song 147, about Schwartz.
It, then, may also be related with affairs (for him, poetry and women almost the same thing, as his later collection entitled as Love and Fame). Re: Song 350 “There’ll have to be an order/ specifically to stop climbing trees,// and other poeple’s wives”
The Empty Bed image may also be related to Bessie Smith’s blues. He stayed in his mother’s home one summer (?) and listened to the records all the time. Re. Song 68.

btw, been reading your postings on and off for nearly two years, Loren, thank you for those enlightening postings.

By: Theresa

Theresa — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:03:20 +0000

I don’t know that essay, but I will definitely look for it. Thanks for the tip. I found a source recently by Samuel Fisher Dodson called BERRYMAN’S HENRY: LIVING AT THE INTERSECTION OF NEED AND ART. Dodson includes copies of early drafts of some of the dream songs in which Berryman has scratched out the “I” and replaced it with “Henry”!!!