John Berryman
by Maxine
John Berryman was a master poet who tragically took his own life after years of mental illness and alcoholism. He was born on October 25th, 1914 in McAlester, Oklahoma. Despite his struggles, Berryman wrote prodigiously. After studying Shakespeare at Cambridge, he moved back to the states and, after years moving from college to college, settled at the University of Minnesota. He is best known, perhaps, for his Homage to Mistress Bradstreet, a dialogue between him and Anne Bradstreet, a 17th century poet. He is also remembered for his 77 Dream Songs about an imaginary character named Henry. Of these poems, Berryman says: "These Songs are not meant to be understood...They are only meant to terrify & comfort." These two lines from Dream Song I are telling:
I don't see how Henry, pried
open for all the world to see, survived.
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