Late Settings

Late Settings is James Merrill's final collection of poetry, published in 1985. The book contains 44 poems that span themes of mortality, memory, and time. The collection features both formal verse and free verse compositions, with Merrill incorporating elements of Greek mythology and personal history throughout. Several poems reflect on travels through Greece and Japan, while others examine domestic scenes and relationships. Merrill's trademark wit appears alongside meditations on aging and illness in these works. His command of traditional forms like the sonnet meshes with more experimental structures across the volume. The poems in Late Settings demonstrate how art and lived experience intersect, offering perspectives on how humans process change and loss through language. The collection stands as a reflection on time's passage and the ways we attempt to capture fleeting moments.

Readers appreciate Merrill's meditations on aging, mortality, and relationships in this poetry collection. Poetry fans mention the technical skill in poems like "Nine Lives" and value how he balances formal structure with emotional depth. Common praise focuses on the clarity of imagery despite complex themes. Several reviewers noted the accessibility of these poems compared to his earlier mystical works. Some readers found the collection uneven, with stronger poems front-loaded. A few reviews criticized certain pieces as overly self-referential or detached. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (23 ratings) Amazon: Not enough reviews for rating Sample review quotes: "His observations about time and loss cut deeper here than in previous works" - Goodreads reviewer "The AIDS elegies are devastating but the surrounding poems feel like filler" - Poetry Foundation comment "More straightforward than Changing Light at Sandover but retains his masterful craft" - LibraryThing user

The Dream Songs by John Berryman This sequence of 385 poems blends personal history with classical references in a complex exploration of loss, mortality, and the poet's inner life.

Collected Poems by Elizabeth Bishop These poems demonstrate technical precision and formal control while examining themes of travel, displacement, and observation of both natural and human worlds.

Some Trees by John Ashbery The collection combines intricate formal structures with surreal imagery to create meditations on consciousness and time.

Life Studies by Robert Lowell This confessional poetry collection merges autobiography with cultural critique through classical references and family history.

Collected Poems 1947-1997 by Allen Ginsberg The poems traverse personal mythology, Buddhist thought, and American culture through long-form experimental verses and historical documentation.

🔹 "Late Settings" was published in 1985, just ten years before James Merrill's death, and showcases some of his most mature and contemplative work about aging, love, and mortality. 🔹 Many poems in the collection were influenced by Merrill's experiences in Greece, where he spent half of each year in his home on the island of Syros. 🔹 The book's title plays on multiple meanings: both the later period of the poet's life and the act of "setting" poems to paper, like a composer setting music. 🔹 Merrill was known for his formal mastery, and this collection demonstrates his skillful use of traditional forms while addressing contemporary themes, including the AIDS crisis. 🔹 The poet was heir to the Merrill Lynch fortune but lived modestly, using his wealth primarily to establish the Ingram Merrill Foundation, which supported writers and artists. This philanthropic spirit influenced themes of privilege and responsibility in his work.