James Larkin Pearson : a biography of North Carolina's longest serving poet laureate / Gregory S. Taylor.

Format:

• Book

Author/Creator:

• Taylor, Gregory S., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Pearson, James Larkin, 1879-1981.
• Poets, American--20th century--Biography.
• Poets, American.
• Poets laureate.
• North Carolina.
• Poets laureate--North Carolina--Biography.

Genre:

• Biographies.

Physical Description:

xix, 225 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Lexington Books, [2015]

Summary:

James Larkin Pearson: A Biography of North Carolina's Longest-Serving Poet Laureate is the first academic biography of North Carolina poet laureate James Larkin Pearson (187-981) Using material form Pearson's personal archive in Wilkes county, from the North Carolina Collection and Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and from contemporary examinations of his life and work, this study offers deeply personal insights into his life and provides extensive examinations of his hopes, joys, fears, pains, and sorrows. This work also includes lengthy studies of his poetry and his journalistic efforts and examines their place within the larger cultural milieu. In the process, this book addresses two themes that become apparent in Pearson's life and work: his Tar Heel spirit and his individualism. He was a fighter who overcame poverty, a poor education, personal tragedies, and professional neglect to achieve great success. He also abided by his own set of religious, artistic, and political values regardless of the consequences. This work thus offers the first personal and professional examination of James Larkin Pearson, provides insights on North Caroline and its people, and examines the benefits and drawbacks of following one's own path. Book jacket.

Contents:

• 1 The Mark 1
• 2 "Over the Range" 17
• 3 "C-o-r-a" 31
• 4 The Fool-Killer: Part One: "A Paper of Comment" 53
• 5 The Fool-Killer: Part Two: The Pater Evolves 71
• 6 The Will to Get Well 89
• 7 The Pleasure and the Pain 103
• 8 "The Soul of Poetry" 129
• 9 Poet Laureate 153
• 10 Immortality, Poetry, and Politics 177
• 11 My Fingers and My Toes 197.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

• 9781498505192
• 1498505198

OCLC:

904756045