"The Thousand and Second Night"

"The Thousand and Second Night"

Merrill, James, 1926-1995

Notebook pages showing the first title of and early notes toward the pivotal, experimental, multifaceted poem "The Thousand and Second Night," which was based partly upon Merrill's Bell's palsy experience. These notes capture Merrill's uncertainty what is happening to his half-paralyzed face, and his realization the condition can be a metaphor for his soul. These are just three of a total sixty-eight manuscript pages in the collection. The drafts includes pages toward a pseudo quote about the soul and abuse of the earth, two major themes of the epic Ouija board poems that came later.

See also the photograph of Maria Mitsotaki and James Merrill.

Merrill, James

James Merrill Papers (MSS083) - Box 139, Folder 3598

Series_IV_Manuscripts

Exhibit Cases 5-6: Greece

James Merrill: Life and Art, pp. 323-9

2 leaves. Recto and verso

2 jpegs. 600 ppi.

English

Manuscript

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Subseries_IV-1-a_The_Thousand_and_Second_Night-002.jpg

Washington University in St. Louis