James Lafayette Dickey, an influential American poet and novelist, was born on February 2, 1923, in Atlanta, Georgia. His life was marked by both personal tragedy and professional achievement. Dickey's literary journey intertwines themes of war, nature, and human struggle, leaving a lasting impact on American literature.

Early Life and Education

Born to Eugene and Maibelle Swift Dickey, James was their second son, after their first, Eugene, tragically passed away from spinal meningitis at six years old. This loss profoundly influenced Dickey and later became a central theme in his poem "The String," where he grapples with feelings of guilt, encapsulated in the recurring line "Dead before I was born." Growing up, Dickey excelled in athletics, particularly football, during his time at North Fulton High School. Upon his graduation in 1942, he attended Clemson Agricultural College in South Carolina, pursuing his passion for sports.

Military Service and Literary Awakening

However, Dickey's time at Clemson was short-lived as he left after one semester to join the Army Air Force during World War II. Between 1942 and 1946, he flew approximately a hundred missions as a pilot with the 418th Night Fighters in the South Pacific. These experiences deeply influenced his poetry, as seen in works like “The Firebombing” from his collections Helmets (1964) and Buckdancer’s Choice (1965), which explore the moral complexities of war. During his military service, Dickey discovered poetry, often spending time in the library waiting for a librarian he was dating, which further fueled his literary interests.

Academic Pursuits and Early Career

After completing his military service, Dickey transferred to Vanderbilt University in 1946, where he shifted his athletic focus from football to track, setting a state record in the 120-yard high hurdles. Vanderbilt was a hub for several literary movements, such as the Fugitive Poets, Agrarianism, and New Criticism. Although Dickey shared the skepticism of industrialization that characterized these groups, he maintained an independent stance, refusing to be pigeonholed into any particular literary school. In 1949, he earned his A.B. degree, followed by an M.A. in 1950, with a thesis on Herman Melville’s poetry.

Personal Life and Teaching

In 1948, Dickey married Maxine Syerson, with whom he had two sons, Christopher Swift and Kevin Webster. After Maxine's death in 1976, he married Deborah Dodson, and they had a daughter, Bronwen, in 1981. Dickey briefly taught at Rice Institute in Houston, Texas, but his career was interrupted by a recall to Air Force service during the Korean War. Following his discharge in 1952, he returned to Rice, dedicating himself to poetry writing. A fellowship from Sewanee Review in 1954 allowed him to spend a year in Europe, after which he joined the University of Florida faculty. However, his academic aspirations were thwarted by overwhelming composition classes and a controversial reading of his poem "The Father’s Body." Refusing to apologize, he resigned from his teaching position.

Transition to Full-Time Writing

Dickey continued to pursue poetry while residing in New York City, working in advertising with McCann-Erickson. In 1958, he returned to Atlanta, working with Liller Neal and later Burke Dowling Adams, where he rose to creative director and vice president. His poetic output during this time led to the publication of collections like Into the Stone, and Other Poems (1960) and Drowning with Others (1962). His growing reputation was affirmed by awards such as the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship, which enabled him to leave advertising and dedicate himself fully to poetry.

Critical Success and Later Career

The success of Helmets and Buckdancer’s Choice solidified Dickey's status as a prominent American poet. Buckdancer’s...