Randall Jarrell Books

Focusing on Randall Jarrell's multifaceted literary contributions, this collection highlights his prowess beyond poetry, showcasing his comic novel, children's books, translations, and insightful essays. Edited by Brad Leithauser, it draws from four of Jarrell's essay collections, emphasizing his critical acumen alongside his poetic talent. The work serves as a testament to his status as a significant figure in American literature, reflecting his ability to blend humor and depth in his observations, as noted by contemporaries like Robert Lowell.

There was once a little brown bat who couldn't sleep days-he kept waking up and looking at the world. Before long he began to see things differently from the other bats, who from dawn to sunset never opened their eyes. The Bat-Poet is the story of how he tried to make the other bats see the world his way. Here in The Bat-Poet are the bat's own poems and the bat's own world: the owl who almost eats him; the mockingbird whose irritable genius almost overpowers him; the chipmunk who loves his poems, and the bats who can't make beads or tails of them; the cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, and sparrows who fly in and out of Randall Jarrell's funny, lovable, truthful fable. Best Illustrated Children's Books 1964 (NYT) Year's Best Juveniles 1964 (NYT)

Randall Jarrell's poetry captures a diverse range of experiences, from the stark realities of army life in World War II to poignant domestic moments in his later works. His unique voice blends imagination with realism, offering both intimate reflections and broader insights into human experience. This collection, curated by William H. Pritchard, showcases Jarrell's finest poems, making them accessible to a new generation of readers eager to explore his profound and versatile literary contributions.

Beneath the unassuming surface of a progressive women’s college lurks a world of intellectual pride and pomposity awaiting devastation by the pens of two brilliant and appalling wits. Randall Jarrell’s classic novel was originally published to overwhelming critical acclaim in 1954, forging a new standard for campus satire—and instantly yielding comparisons to Dorothy Parker’s razor-sharp barbs. Like his fictional nemesis, Jarrell cuts through the earnest conversations at Benton College—mischievously, but with mischief nowhere more wicked than when crusading against the vitriolic heroine herself.