Dreams in the Mirror: A Biography of E.E. Cummings (Revised)

by Richard S. Kennedy

Book Overview

Along with Pound, Eliot, and Joyce, Edward Estlin Cummings is one of the leading American poets who revolutionized literary expression in the twentieth century. He was also a Cubist painter, a champion of the little man, a brilliant conversationalist, a romantic idealist, a famous irrational curmudgeon, and husband to three of the most beautiful women of his time. This critical biography merges these various selves into one fascinating life story,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 087140155X
• ISBN13: 9780871401557
• Release Date: October 1994
• Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
• Length: 548 Pages
• Weight: 1.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A thorough biography of Cummings' life and writing

*Dreams in the Mirror* is a well-written, thorough biography recounting E.E. Cummings' childhood, his early gifts with language, his changing relationship with his father, his war experiences, what he valued and how he reacted to the world around him. I love the fact this book gives the reader a glimpse into what motivated Cummings and how these relate to his poetry. This isn't a book limited to biographical information, though: Kennedy provides literary criticism and analysis, and even though I didn't always agree with Kennedy's assertions, I appreciated the scholastic look at the pieces. He provided me new insight into a few poems. I highly recommend this book for Cummings lovers.

A Complete Biography

This book outlines every facet of the facinating life of E.E. Cummings. A must read for anyone researching or interested in his life.

Reason Without Rhyme

'Dreams in the Mirror: A Biography of E.E. Cummings' is a precise account of a unique, creative poet. Richard S. Kennedy has made sense of the seemingly incoherent mind that made the literary world spin in a profoundly deconstructed orbit during the period following Cummings' graduation from the Harvard School of Arts and Sciences in 1916. Perhaps the most significant element of Kennedy's book is the previously unpublished Cummings' poem discovered in the dusty closet of a Tunisian Bed & Beakfast he'd occupied in 1931. Titled 'Insanity is Just a Mind of State', it is one of Cummings' most autobiographical works, revealing the poet's life-long regret that he'd never wrestled an alligator. The lament, on page 79, reads:'i'm mad; say theybut Almonds aren't NUTS!(is) thE river SEINE in pariS;?'The human mind is a beautiful thing.

Dreams In The Mirror

a wonderful book ... especially the love story and photos of cummings and marion moorehouse

"Dreams" a thought provoking bio

Recently having completed DREAMS IN THE MIRROR, I can say that I haven't read a better biography in a long time. If you are a true E.E. Cummings fan (or e.e. cummings as he spelled it), the insights that Kennedy has into the man's life, as well as the interpretations of his poems, seems to make sense. I own a copy of his "Complete Poems 1904-1962", and having read many of them, I thought that the logical next step was to see how someone else thought of them. Kennedy's biography of Cummings is the only one that I know of in existance. Adding to that is Nancy Andrews, Cummings' daughter, who gave a lot of insight into her father, as well as previously unpublished poems and even drawings(!!). The book doesn't read like a novel, so don't expect to pace though it quickly. It is a well-written account of Cummings' life, so remember to pay attention. Being it as it may, and considering that information, I say go on and read it. It's worth the time.