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Journal 8 - Tony Harwood Ouija seance transcript A Ouija séance transcript of the recently-deceased Tony Harwood describing the experience of his death.
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Journal 7 - notes on David McIntosh Notes on David McIntosh visit to Stonington coming to an end. This entry includes the first version of first two lines of "The Kimono."
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Journal 10 - “18 W 11th St.” notes and drafts Early holograph notes and drafts toward the poem that would become “18 W 11th St.” The poem regards his childhood NYC home, which was accidentally blown up by radicals living there and making homemade bombs in the basement.
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Journal 58 - Letter to Tony Harwood Draft of a letter to Tony Harwood about Merrill's beliefs on soul and spirituality. These would feed into "The Broken Home," "From the Cupola," and "Days of 1964."
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Journal 62 - The (Diblos) Notebook notes Early notes on The (Diblos) Notebook--a novel-within-a-novel where life and art turn into each other--inspired by Kimon Friar's idea for "a poet's coming-of-age story and a prelude to a great work."
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Journal 64 - thoughts on Ephraim and Cold War A poem draft with examples of wordplay, an important exercise for James Merrill throughout his writing life. This entry also contains notes on Ephraim and Cold War nuclear annihilation worries.
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Journal 4 - Ouija séance transcript A Ouija séance transcript regarding Wallace Stevens in the afterlife. This serves as one example of Merrill and Jackson frequently communicating with recently-deceased writers and friends, and also of the topics of literary vocation and sexual identity discussed quite often in the early séances.
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Journal 59 - "The Broken Home" drafts Journal 59 includes numerous pages of early holograph notes and drafts toward "The Broken Home," one of which is included here. Merrill's most autobiographical poem to date, "The Broken Home" centered on his parents' troubled relationship. It was eventually published in The New Yorker and then in Nights and Days.
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Journal 1 - Kimon Friar Journal entry in which Merrill recounts his mother's discovery of his love affair with Kimon Friar.
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Journal 57 - Lawrenceville School Merrill's first diary, including an entry in which he recounts how he cleverly got out of being de-pantsed by David Mixsell at Lawrenceville School. One of Merrill's drawings is laid in beside the entry.
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"Looking at Mummy" "Looking at Mummy," Merrill's first poem at age 6, written in his mother's hand (so how much of it she may have written herself remains a question). This experience/poem later influenced “The Broken Home.”
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James Merrill letter to Peter Hooten James Merrill letter to Peter Hooten written in Key West to be read when Hooten wakes up. Merrill is begging Hooten to "get a hold of [his] feelings" and states that "the only permitted feeling is loyal clear-eyed love." This is one of the first times Merrill addresses Hooten's anger and emotional outbursts in writing.
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James Merrill letter to Tony Parigory James Merrill letter to Tony Parigory discussing typing the Ouija transcripts to make a prose memoir. Merrill also mentions his problem of losing the novel manuscripts.
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Hellen Plummer letter to James Merrill Hellen Plummer letter to James Merrill regarding "Lost in Translation" and how much his work keeps impressing her. She shows herself to be a "fair literary critic" in this letter.
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James Merrill letter to Daryl Hine James Merrill letter to Daryl Hine including Merrill's realization that he's using psychoanalytic thinking as a tool for enchantment rather than demystification, making life and art even more intertwined (see also "Under Libra" draft).
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James Merrill letter to Daryl Hine James Merrill letter to Daryl Hine describing his and David Jackson's latest sexual partner. Merrill mentions his new relationship with Strato Mouflouzelis and also complains of spiritual and historical debates with Tony Harwood.
See also Journal 58, the photograph of Strato Mouflouzelis, "Days of 1964" manuscript pages, and "Violent Pastoral" broadside.
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Mona Van Duyn letter to James Merrill Mona Van Duyn letter to James Merrill in which Van Duyn requests on behalf of Washington University Libraries to start collecting Merrill's literary papers at Washington University. Van Duyn’s personal inquiry persuaded Merrill to accept the invitation.
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Kimon Friar letter to James Merrill Kimon Friar letter to James Merrill, airing his grievances and declaring simple friendship between them is impossible, coming after a decade of a "stiff, formal relationship" for the former lovers.
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James Merrill letter to David Jackson James Merrill letter to David Jackson with a poem, drawings, and a photo Merrill made for Jackson's 40th birthday.
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Harry Ford letter to Lawrence Condon Photostat copy of Harry Ford letter to Lawrence Condon announcing that year's Ingram Merrill Foundation awards. Recipients included Daryl Hine and Derek Walcott.
