Joyce Kilmer: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Joyce Kilmer.jpg|thumb|Sgt. Joyce Kilmer, as a member of the Fighting 69th Infantry Regiment, United States Army, c. 1918]] |
[[File:Joyce Kilmer.jpg|thumb|Sgt. Joyce Kilmer, as a member of the Fighting 69th Infantry Regiment, United States Army, c. 1918]] |
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In April 1917, a few days after the United States entered [[World War I]], Kilmer enlisted in the Seventh Regiment of the [[New York National Guard]]. In August, Kilmer was assigned as a statistician with the [[U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment]] (better known as the "Fighting 69th" and later re-designated the [[165th Infantry Regiment]]), of the [[42nd Infantry Division (United States)|42nd "Rainbow" Division]], and quickly rose to the rank of [[Sergeant#United States|sergeant]]. Though he was eligible for commission as an officer and often recommended for such posts during the course of the war, Kilmer refused stating that he would rather be a sergeant in the Fighting 69th than an officer in any other regiment.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.35}} |
In April 1917, a few days after the United States entered [[World War I]], Kilmer enlisted in the Seventh Regiment of the [[New York National Guard]]. In August, Kilmer was assigned as a statistician with the [[U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment]] (better known as the "Fighting 69th" and later re-designated the [[165th Infantry Regiment]]), of the [[42nd Infantry Division (United States)|42nd "Rainbow" Division]], and quickly rose to the rank of [[Sergeant#United States|sergeant]]. Though he was eligible for commission as an officer and often recommended for such posts during the course of the war, Kilmer refused, stating that he would rather be a sergeant in the Fighting 69th than an officer in any other regiment.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.35}} |
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Shortly before his deployment to Europe, the Kilmers' daughter Rose had died, and twelve days later, their son Christopher was born.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.32}} Before his departure, Kilmer had contracted with publishers to write a book about the war, deciding upon the title ''Here and There with the Fighting Sixty-Ninth''. The regiment arrived in France in November 1917, and Kilmer wrote to his wife that he had not written "anything in prose or verse since I got here—except statistics—but I've stored up a lot of memories to turn into copy when I get a chance."<ref>Letter from Joyce Kilmer to Aline Kilmer, 24 November 1917 in Kilmer, Joyce with Holliday, Robert Cortes (editor). ''Poems, Essays and Letters in Two Volumes.'' (1918).</ref> Kilmer did not write such a book; however, toward the end of the year, he did find time to write prose sketches and poetry. The most notable of his poems during this period was "[[Rouge Bouquet (poem)|Rouge Bouquet ]]" (1918) which commemorated the deaths of two dozen members of his regiment in an German artillery barrage on American trench positions in the [[Rouge Bouquet|Rouge Bouquet forest]] north-east of the French village of [[Baccarat, Meurthe-et-Moselle|Baccarat]]. At the time, this was a relatively quiet sector of the front, but the first battalion was struck by a German [[heavy artillery]] [[bombardment]] on the afternoon of 7 March 1918 that buried 21 men of the unit, killing 19 (of which 14 remained entombed).<ref>[http://www.aboutjonesfamily.com/PAGES/DIARY3.HTM World War I Diary of Joseph J. Jones Sr.], published at website "One Jones Family" by Joseph J. Jones III. Retrieved 27 December 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.69thny.com/rouge_bouquet.htm The History of the Fighting 69th: Rouge Bouquet] (no further authorship information given). Retrieved 27 December 2006.</ref><ref name="Duffy">Duffy, Francis Patrick. ''Father Duffy’s Story''. (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1919)</ref>{{rp|p.350}} |
Shortly before his deployment to Europe, the Kilmers' daughter Rose had died, and twelve days later, their son Christopher was born.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.32}} Before his departure, Kilmer had contracted with publishers to write a book about the war, deciding upon the title ''Here and There with the Fighting Sixty-Ninth''. The regiment arrived in France in November 1917, and Kilmer wrote to his wife that he had not written "anything in prose or verse since I got here—except statistics—but I've stored up a lot of memories to turn into copy when I get a chance."<ref>Letter from Joyce Kilmer to Aline Kilmer, 24 November 1917 in Kilmer, Joyce with Holliday, Robert Cortes (editor). ''Poems, Essays and Letters in Two Volumes.'' (1918).</ref> Kilmer did not write such a book; however, toward the end of the year, he did find time to write prose sketches and poetry. The most notable of his poems during this period was "[[Rouge Bouquet (poem)|Rouge Bouquet ]]" (1918) which commemorated the deaths of two dozen members of his regiment in an German artillery barrage on American trench positions in the [[Rouge Bouquet|Rouge Bouquet forest]] north-east of the French village of [[Baccarat, Meurthe-et-Moselle|Baccarat]]. At the time, this was a relatively quiet sector of the front, but the first battalion was struck by a German [[heavy artillery]] [[bombardment]] on the afternoon of 7 March 1918 that buried 21 men of the unit, killing 19 (of which 14 remained entombed).<ref>[http://www.aboutjonesfamily.com/PAGES/DIARY3.HTM World War I Diary of Joseph J. Jones Sr.], published at website "One Jones Family" by Joseph J. Jones III. Retrieved 27 December 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.69thny.com/rouge_bouquet.htm The History of the Fighting 69th: Rouge Bouquet] (no further authorship information given). Retrieved 27 December 2006.</ref><ref name="Duffy">Duffy, Francis Patrick. ''Father Duffy’s Story''. (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1919)</ref>{{rp|p.350}} |
Revision as of 03:34, 27 November 2013
Joyce Kilmer | |
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![]() Joyce Kilmer's Columbia University yearbook photograph, circa 1908 | |
Born | Alfred Joyce Kilmer 6 December 1886 New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | 30 July 1918 near Seringes-et-Nesles, France | (aged 31)
Occupation | poet, journalist, editor, lecturer, soldier |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Columbia University (A.B. 1908) Rutgers College |
Period | 1909–1918 |
Genre | poetry, literary criticism, essays, Catholic theology |
Notable works | Trees and Other Poems (1914), Main Street and Other Poems (1917) |
Spouse | Aline Murray (1888–1941) |
Children | five children (3 sons, 2 daughter) |
Signature | |
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Joyce Kilmer (born as Alfred Joyce Kilmer; 6 December 1886 – 30 July 1918) was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection Trees and Other Poems in 1914. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his Roman Catholic religious faith, Kilmer was also a journalist, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. While most of his works are largely unknown, a select few of his poems remain popular and are published frequently in anthologies. Several critics—including both Kilmer's contemporaries and modern scholars—have disparaged Kilmer's work as being too simple and overly sentimental, and suggested that his style was far too traditional, even archaic.[2] Many writers, including notably Ogden Nash, have parodied Kilmer's work and style—as attested by the many parodies of "Trees".
At the time of his deployment to Europe during World War I, Kilmer was considered the leading American Roman Catholic poet and lecturer of his generation, whom critics often compared to British contemporaries G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) and Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953).[3]: p.27 [4][5] He enlisted in the New York National Guard and was deployed to France with the 69th Infantry Regiment (the famous "Fighting 69th") in 1917. He was killed by a sniper's bullet at the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918 at the age of 31. He was married to Aline Murray, also an accomplished poet and author, with whom he had five children.
Biography
Early years and education: 1886–1908
Kilmer was born 6 December 1886 in New Brunswick, New Jersey,[6] the fourth and youngest child,[note 1] of Annie Ellen Kilburn (1849–1932), a minor writer and composer,[7][2] and Dr. Frederick Barnett Kilmer (1851–1934), a physician and analytical chemist employed by the Johnson and Johnson Company and inventor of the company's baby powder.[8][9][10] He was named Alfred Joyce Kilmer after two priests at Christ Church in New Brunswick: Alfred R. Taylor, the curate; and the Rev. Dr. Elisha Brooks Joyce (1857–1926), the rector. Christ Church is the oldest Episcopal parish in New Brunswick and the Kilmer family were parishioners.[11] Rector Joyce, who served the parish from 1883 to 1916, baptised the young Kilmer.[12] Kilmer's birthplace in New Brunswick, where the Kilmer family lived from 1886 to 1892, is still standing, and houses a small museum to Kilmer, as well as a few Middlesex County government offices.[13]
Kilmer entered Rutgers College Grammar School (now Rutgers Preparatory School) in 1895 at the age of 8. During his years at the Grammar School, Kilmer was editor-in-chief of the school's paper, the Argo, and loved the classics but had difficulty with Greek. He won the first Lane Classical Prize, for oratory, and obtained a scholarship to Rutgers College which he would attend the following year. Despite his difficulties with Greek and mathematics, he stood at the head of his class in preparatory school.[3]: p.9
After graduating from Rutgers College Grammar School in 1904, he continued his education at Rutgers College (now Rutgers University) from 1904 to 1906. At Rutgers, Kilmer was associate editor of the Targum, the campus newspaper, and a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. However, he was unable to complete the curriculum's rigorous mathematics requirement and was asked to repeat his sophomore year. Under pressure from his mother, Kilmer transferred to Columbia University in New York City.[3]: p.10
At Columbia, Kilmer was vice-president of the Philolexian Society (a literary society), associate editor of Columbia Spectator (the campus newspaper), and member of the Debating Union. He completed his Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree and graduated from Columbia on 23 May 1908.[3]: p.11 Shortly after graduation, on 9 June 1908, he married Aline Murray (1888–1941), a fellow poet to whom he had been engaged since his sophomore year at Rutgers.[3]: p.11 [14] The Kilmers had five children: Kenton Sinclair Kilmer (1909–1995); Michael Barry Kilmer (1916–1927); Deborah ("Sister Michael") Clanton Kilmer (1914–1999) who was a Catholic nun at the Saint Benedict’s Monastery; Rose Kilburn Kilmer (1912–1917); and Christopher Kilmer (1917–1984).[8]
Years of writing and faith: 1909–1917
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Kilmer_Home_Mahwah_New_Jersey.jpg/220px-Kilmer_Home_Mahwah_New_Jersey.jpg)
In the autumn of 1908, Kilmer was employed teaching Latin at Morristown High School in Morristown, New Jersey.[2] At this time, he began to submit essays to Red Cross Notes (including his first published piece—an essay on the "Psychology of Advertising") and his early poems to literary periodicals. Kilmer also wrote book reviews for The Literary Digest, Town & Country, The Nation, and The New York Times. By June 1909, Kilmer had abandoned any aspirations to continue teaching and relocated to New York City where he focused solely on developing a career as a writer.[3]: p.13
From 1909–1912, Kilmer was employed by Funk and Wagnalls, which was preparing an edition of The Standard Dictionary that would be published in 1912.[2] According to Hillis, Kilmer's job "was to define ordinary words assigned to him at five cents for each word defined. This was a job at which one would ordinarily earn ten to twelve dollars a week, but Kilmer attacked the task with such vigor and speed that it was soon thought wisest to put him on a regular salary."[3]: p.14
In 1911, Kilmer's first book of verse, entitled Summer of Love was published. Kilmer would later write that "...some of the poems in it, those inspired by genuine love, are not things of which to be ashamed, and you, understanding, would not be offended by the others."[3]: p.18
In 1912, Kilmer became a special writer for the New York Times Review of Books and the New York Times Sunday Magazine and was often engaged in lecturing.[2] He moved to Mahwah, New Jersey, where he resided until his service and death in World War I. By this time, he had become established as a published poet, and as a popular lecturer. According to Robert Holliday, Kilmer "frequently neglected to make any preparation for his speeches, not even choosing a subject until the beginning of the dinner which was to culminate in a specimen of his oratory. His constant research for the dictionary, and, later on, for his New York Times articles, must have given him a store of knowledge at his fingertips to be produced at a moment's notice for these emergencies."[15][3]: p.21
When the Kilmers' daughter Rose (1912–1917) was stricken with poliomyelitis (also known as infantile paralysis) shortly after birth,[2] they turned to their religious faith for comfort. A series of correspondence between Kilmer and Father James J. Daly led the Kilmers to convert to Roman Catholicism and they were received in the church in 1913. In one of these letters, Kilmer writes that he "believed in the Catholic position, the Catholic view of ethics and aesthetics, for a long time" and he "wanted something not intellectual, some conviction not mental – in fact I wanted Faith." Kilmer would stop "every morning for months" on his way "to the office and prayed for faith" claiming that when "faith did come, it came, I think, by way of my little paralyzed daughter. Her lifeless hands led me; I think her tiny feet know beautiful paths. You understand this and it gives me a selfish pleasure to write it down."[16][17]
With the publication of "Trees" in the magazine Poetry in August 1913, Kilmer gained immense popularity as a poet across the United States. He had established himself as a successful lecturer—particularly one seeking to reach a Catholic audience. His close friend and editor, Robert Holliday, wrote that it "is not an unsupported assertion to say that he was in his time and place the laureate of the Catholic Church."[15] Trees and Other Poems (1914) was published the following year. Over the next few years, Kilmer was prolific in his output—managing an intense schedule of lectures, publishing a large number of essays and literary criticism, and writing poetry. In 1915, he became poetry editor of Current Literature and contributing editor of Warner's Library of the World's Best Literature. In 1916 and 1917, before the American entry into World War I, Kilmer would publish four books: The Circus and Other Essays (1916), a series of interviews with literary personages entitled Literature in the Making (1917), Main Street and Other Poems (1917), and Dreams and Images: An Anthology of Catholic Poets (1917).[2]
War years: 1917–1918
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Joyce_Kilmer.jpg/220px-Joyce_Kilmer.jpg)
In April 1917, a few days after the United States entered World War I, Kilmer enlisted in the Seventh Regiment of the New York National Guard. In August, Kilmer was assigned as a statistician with the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment (better known as the "Fighting 69th" and later re-designated the 165th Infantry Regiment), of the 42nd "Rainbow" Division, and quickly rose to the rank of sergeant. Though he was eligible for commission as an officer and often recommended for such posts during the course of the war, Kilmer refused, stating that he would rather be a sergeant in the Fighting 69th than an officer in any other regiment.[3]: p.35
Shortly before his deployment to Europe, the Kilmers' daughter Rose had died, and twelve days later, their son Christopher was born.[3]: p.32 Before his departure, Kilmer had contracted with publishers to write a book about the war, deciding upon the title Here and There with the Fighting Sixty-Ninth. The regiment arrived in France in November 1917, and Kilmer wrote to his wife that he had not written "anything in prose or verse since I got here—except statistics—but I've stored up a lot of memories to turn into copy when I get a chance."[18] Kilmer did not write such a book; however, toward the end of the year, he did find time to write prose sketches and poetry. The most notable of his poems during this period was "Rouge Bouquet " (1918) which commemorated the deaths of two dozen members of his regiment in an German artillery barrage on American trench positions in the Rouge Bouquet forest north-east of the French village of Baccarat. At the time, this was a relatively quiet sector of the front, but the first battalion was struck by a German heavy artillery bombardment on the afternoon of 7 March 1918 that buried 21 men of the unit, killing 19 (of which 14 remained entombed).[19][20][21]: p.350
Kilmer sought more hazardous duty and was transferred to the military intelligence section of his regiment, in April 1918. In a letter to his wife, Aline, he remarked: "Now I'm doing work I love – and work you may be proud of. None of the drudgery of soldiering, but a double share of glory and thrills."[3]: p.36 According to Hillis, Kilmer's fellow soldiers had accorded him much respect for his battlefield demeanour—"He was worshipped by the men about him. I have heard them speak with awe of his coolness and his nerve in scouting patrols in no man's land. This coolness and his habit of choosing, with typical enthusiasm, the most dangerous and difficult missions, led to his death."[3]: p.36
Death and burial
During the Second Battle of Marne, there was heavy fighting throughout the last days of July 1918. On 30 July 1918, Kilmer volunteered to accompany Major William "Wild Bill" Donovan (later, in World War II, the founder of the Office of Strategic Services—forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency) when Donovan's Battalion (1–165th Infantry) was sent to lead the day's attack.
During the course of the day, Kilmer led a scouting party to find the position of a German machine gun. When his comrades found him, some time later, they thought at first that he was peering over the edge of a little hill, where he had crawled for a better view. When he did not answer their call, they ran to him and found him dead. According to Father Francis P. Duffy: “A bullet had pierced his brain. His body was carried in and buried by the side of Ames. God rest his dear and gallant soul.”[21]: p.193 A sniper's bullet likely killed him immediately. According to military records, Kilmer died on the battlefield near Muercy Farm, beside the Ourcq River near the village of Seringes-et-Nesles, in France, on 30 July 1918 at the age of 31.[22] For his valor, Kilmer was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre (War Cross) by the French Republic.[23]
Kilmer was buried in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial, near Fere-en-Tardenois, Aisne, Picardy, France.[24] A cenotaph erected to his memory is located on the Kilmer family plot in Elmwood Cemetery, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.[25] A memorial mass was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on 14 October 1918.[26]
Criticism and influence
Trees
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Cover_kilmer_1914_trees_and_other_poems.jpg)
Joyce Kilmer's reputation as a poet is staked largely on the widespread popularity of one poem—"Trees" (1913). It was first published in the August 1913 issue of Poetry: A Magazine of Verse which had begun publishing the year before in Chicago, Illinois[27] and was included as the title poem in a collection of poems Trees and Other Poems (1914).[28] According to Kilmer's oldest son, Kenton, the poem was written on 2 February 1913 when the family resided in Mahwah, New Jersey.
It was written in the afternoon in the intervals of some other writing. The desk was in an upstairs room, by a window looking down a wooded hill. It was written in a little notebook in which his father and mother wrote out copies of several of their poems, and, in most cases, added the date of composition. On one page the first two lines of 'Trees' appear, with the date, February 2, 1913, and on another page, further on in the book, is the full text of the poem. It was dedicated to his wife's mother, Mrs. Henry Mills Alden, who was endeared to all her family. [29]
Many locations including Rutgers University (where Kilmer attended for two years),[30][31] University of Notre Dame,[32] as well as historians in Mahwah, New Jersey and in other places,[33] have boasted that a specific tree was the inspiration for Kilmer's poem. However, Kenton Kilmer refutes these claims, remarking that,
Mother and I agreed, when we talked about it, that Dad never meant his poem to apply to one particular tree, or to the trees of any special region. Just any trees or all trees that might be rained on or snowed on, and that would be suitable nesting places for robins. I guess they'd have to have upward-reaching branches, too, for the line about 'lifting leafy arms to pray.' Rule out weeping willows."[29]
The popular appeal of this simple poem is likely the source of its endurance despite the continuing negative opinion of the poem's merits from scholars and critics. According to Robert Holliday, Kilmer's friend and editor, "Trees" speaks "with authentic song to the simplest of hearts" and that "(t)he exquisite title poem now so universally known, made his reputation more than all the rest he had written put together. That impeccable lyric which made for immediate widespread popularity."[34] Its popularity has also led to parodies of the poem—some by noted poets and writers. The pattern of its first lines (I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree.) is of seemingly simple rhyme and meter and easy to mimic along with the poem's choice of metaphors. One of the best known parodies is "Song of the Open Road" by American humorist and poet Ogden Nash (1902–1971):
- I think that I shall never see
- A billboard lovely as a tree.
- Indeed, unless the billboards fall,
- I'll never see a tree at all.[35]
Influences upon Kilmer's verse
Kilmer's early works were inspired by, and were imitative of, the poetry of Algernon Charles Swinburne, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Ernest Dowson, Aubrey Beardsley, and William Butler Yeats (and the Celtic Revival). It was later through the influence of works by Coventry Patmore, Francis Thompson, and those of Alice Meynell and her children Viola Meynell and Francis Meynell, that Kilmer seems to have become interested in Catholicism.[3]: p.19 Kilmer wrote of his influences:
I have come to regard them with intense admiration. Patmore seems to me to be a greater poet than Francis Thompson. He has not the rich vocabulary, the decorative erudition, the Shelleyan enthusiasm, which distinguish the Sister Songs and the Hound of Heaven, but he has a classical simplicity, a restraint and sincerity which make his poems satisfying.[3]: p.19
Because he was initially raised Episcopalian (or Anglican), Kilmer became literary editor of the Anglican weekly, The Churchman, before his conversion to Catholicism. During this time he did considerable research into 16th and 17th century Anglican poets as well as metaphysical, or mystic poets of that time, including George Herbert, Thomas Traherne, Robert Herrick, Bishop Coxe, and Robert Stephen Hawker (the eccentric vicar of the Church of Saint Morwenna and Saint John the Baptist at Morwenstow in Cornwall)—the latter whom he referred to as "a coast life-guard in a cassock." These poets also had an influence on Kilmer's writings.[3]: p.19
Critics compared Kilmer to British Catholic writers Hilaire Belloc and G. K. Chesterton—suggesting that his reputation might have risen to the level where he would have been considered their American counterpart if not for his untimely death.[36][37]
Criticism of Kilmer's work
Indeed, Kilmer's death at age 31 removed from him the opportunity to develop into a more mature poet. Because "Trees" is often dismissed by modern critics and scholars as simple verse, much of Kilmer's work (especially his literary criticism) has slipped into obscurity. Only a very few of his poems have appeared in anthologies, and with the exception of "Trees"—and to a much lesser extent "Rouge Bouquet" (1917–1918)—almost none have obtained lasting widespread popularity.[3]: p.26 [3]: p.40
The entire corpus of Kilmer's work was produced between 1909 and 1918 when Romanticism and sentimental lyric poetry fell out of favor and Modernism took root—especially with the influence of the Lost Generation. In the years after Kilmer's death, poetry went in drastically different directions, as is seen especially in the work of T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. Kilmer's verse is conservative and traditional, and does not break the formal rules of poetics—he can be considered as one of the last poets of the Romantic era. His style has been criticized for not breaking free of traditional modes of rhyme, meter, and theme; and for being too sentimental to be taken seriously.[38]
Works
- 1911: Summer of Love (poetry)
- 1914: Trees and Other Poems (poetry)
- 1916: The Circus and Other Essays (essays)
- 1917: Main Street and Other Poems. (poetry)
- 1917: The Courage of Enlightenment: An address delivered in Campion College, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, to the members of the graduating class, 15 June 1917.
- 1917: Dreams and Images: An Anthology of Catholic Poets. (poetry anthology, edited by Kilmer)
- 1917: Literature in the Making by some of its Makers (criticism)
- 1918: Poems, Essays and Letters in Two Volumes Volume One: Memoir and Poems, Volume Two: prose works (collected works) (published posthumously, edited by Robert Cortes Holliday).
- 1919: Kilmer's unfinished history of the Fighting 69th (165th Infantry) is posthumously printed in Father Duffy's Story by Francis P. Duffy (New York: Doran, 1919).
- 1921: The Circus and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces (published posthumously)
See also
- Joyce Kilmer Memorial Bad Poetry Contest
- List of places named after Joyce Kilmer
- Category:Poetry by Joyce Kilmer
References
- Notes
- ^ Per Miriam A. Kilmer's website (located here. Retrieved 14 August 2012), Joyce was the fourth and youngest, however two of his siblings, sister Ellen Annie Kilmer (1875–1876) and brother Charles Willoughby Kilmer (1880–1880), died before his birth. Kilmer's older, surviving brother, Anda Frederick Kilmer (1873–1899), died when Joyce was thirteen years old, most likely a suicide in a Philadelphia hotel.
- References
- ^ findagrave.com entry for Joyce Kilmer (Retrieved 14 August 2012).
- ^ a b c d e f g Hart, James A.Joyce Kilmer 1886–1918 (Biography) at Poetry Magazine. (Retrieved 15 August 2012).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Hillis, John. Joyce Kilmer: A Bio-Bibliography. Master of Science (Library Science) Thesis. Catholic University of America. (Washington, DC: 1962)
- ^ Mencken, H. L. The American Mercury. Volume XIII, No. 49. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, January 1928), 33.
- ^ Maynard, Theodore. A book of modern Catholic verse. (New York: Henry Holt, 1925), 16–17.
- ^ Certificate of Birth for Alfred Joyce Kilmer, 6 December 1886, on microfilm at the Archives of the State of New Jersey, 225 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey.
- ^ "Mrs. F. B. Kilmer Dead; Mother of War Poet. Wrote of Memories of Her Son Who Was Killed in France in 1918. Was Native of Albany." The New York Times. 2 January 1932. (Retrieved 14 August 2012).
- ^ a b Joyce Kilmer: FAQ and Fancies, website published by Miriam A. Kilmer, with Kilmer genealogical information. Retrieved 26 December 2006.
- ^ For Dr. Kilmer as the inventor of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder, see: Reuter, Annie. "Famous Tree Poem originates at U." The Daily Targum 12 October 2004.
- ^ See also Johnson & Johnson's Our History: People who made a difference. (Retrieved 14 August 2012).
- ^ Durnin, Richard G. "Joyce Kilmer and New Brunswick, New Jersey." (New Brunswick, NJ: Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, 1993).
- ^ Baptismal Records for Christ Church, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
- ^ "Historic New Brunswick". Archived from the original on 10 March 2007., published by New Brunswick City Market, (no further authorship information given) Retrieved 17 August 2006.
- ^ Certificate of Marriage for Aline Murray and Alfred Joyce Kilmer, 9 June 1908, on microfilm at the Archives of the State of New Jersey, 225 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey.
- ^ a b Holliday, Robert Cortes (ed.). "Memoir" in Joyce Kilmer: Poems, Essays and Letters. 2 volumes. (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1918), 1:24.
- ^ Letter from Joyce Kilmer to Father James J. Daly, 9 January 1914, in Holliday, Robert Cortes (ed.) and Kilmer, Joyce. Poems, Essays and Letters in Two Volumes. (New York: George H. Doran, 1918 – published posthumously).
- ^ Daly, James Jeremiah. "Some letters of Joyce Kilmer." in his A Cheerful Ascetic, and other essays. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Bruce, 1931), 76–86.
- ^ Letter from Joyce Kilmer to Aline Kilmer, 24 November 1917 in Kilmer, Joyce with Holliday, Robert Cortes (editor). Poems, Essays and Letters in Two Volumes. (1918).
- ^ World War I Diary of Joseph J. Jones Sr., published at website "One Jones Family" by Joseph J. Jones III. Retrieved 27 December 2006.
- ^ The History of the Fighting 69th: Rouge Bouquet (no further authorship information given). Retrieved 27 December 2006.
- ^ a b Duffy, Francis Patrick. Father Duffy’s Story. (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1919)
- ^ "Joyce Kilmer Slain on the West Front; Former Member of Times Staff Had Won Sergeantcy In The 165th of Infantry. His Writings Well Known Author Was Rutgers And Columbia Graduate—Several Veterans Of The 69th Killed. His Lusitania Poem. Fought At The Marne. Veteran Of 69th Killed. Lieut. Harwood 'Doing Fine.' Parents Receive Letter Written After Date Of Reported Death." The New York Times 18 August 1918.
- ^ "Joyce Kilmer cited for French War Cross" The New York Times 2 January 1919.
- ^ Joyce Kilmer grave at Oise-Aisne American Cemetery in France on findagrave.com (Retrieved 14 August 2012).
- ^ Joyce Kilmer cenotaph in Elmwood Cemetery, New Brunswick on findagrave.com(Retrieved 14 August 2012).
- ^ "Mass for Joyce Kilmer. Memorial Service at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York Tomorrow Morning." The New York Times. 13 October 1918.
- ^ Kilmer, Joyce. "Trees" in Poetry: A Magazine of Verse, V. 2, (Chicago: Modern Poetry Association, August 1913), 160.
- ^ Kilmer, Joyce. Trees and Other Poems. (New York: Doubleday Doran and Co., 1914), 18.
- ^ a b Letter from Kenton Kilmer to Dorothy Colson in Grotto Sources file, Dorothy Corson Collection, University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana).
- ^ What a Difference a Tree Makes citing Lax, Roer and Smith, Frederick. The Great Song Thesaurus. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989). ISBN 0-19-505408-3. Retrieved 25 December 2006.
- ^ The New York Times, 19 September 1963. Of note, in an article reporting the demise of the "Kilmer Oak" is a quote that "Rutgers said it could not prove that Kilmer...had been inspired by the oak." which further confirms this attribution is unsubstantiated and its dissemination within the realm of rumor and urban (or in this case, provincial) legend.
- ^ Corson, Dorothy V. A Cave of Candles: The Story behind the Notre Dame Grotto, found online here (Retrieved 15 August 2012).
- ^ Curley, John. "End of Legend: Kilmer's Oak to Fall" The Free Lance-Star. (17 September 1963).
- ^ Holliday, Robert Cortes. "Memoir," in Joyce Kilmer, edited by Holliday (New York: Doran, 1918), I: 17–101.
- ^ Nash, Ogden. "Song of the Open Road" first published in Argosy. Vol. 12 No. 8. (July 1951), 63.
- ^ Campbell, Pearl H. "Kilmer, late laureate of the Catholic Church" in Magnificat. Volume 64. (June 1939), 78–82
- ^ Connolly, Helen. "Kilmer the essayist" in Magnificat. Volume 76. (July 1945), 128–31
- ^ Aiken, Conrad Potter. “Confectionary and Caviar: Edward Bliss Reed, John Cowper Powys, Joyce Kilmer, Theodosia Garrison, William Carlos Williams,” in Scepticisms. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1919), 178–86.
Further reading
- Cargas, Harry J. I lay down my life: A Biography of Joyce Kilmer (Boston, Massachusetts: Daughters of Saint Paul Editions, 1964). NO ISBN (pre-1964)
- Covell, John E. Joyce Kilmer: A Literary Biography. (Brunswick, Georgia: Write-Fit Communications, 2000). ISBN 978-0-615-11175-9
- Kilmer, Annie Kilburn. Whimsies, More Whimsies. (New York: Frye Publishing Co., 1929). NO ISBN (Pre-1964).
- Kilmer, Annie Kilburn. Memories of My Son, Sergeant Joyce Kilmer. (New York: Brentano's, 1920). NO ISBN (Pre-1964).
- Kilmer, Annie Kilburn. Leaves of My Life. (New York: Frye Publishing Co., 1925). NO ISBN (Pre-1964).
- Kilmer, Kenton. Memories of my Father, Joyce Kilmer (Joyce Kilmer Centennial, 1993). ISBN 978-0-9637524-0-6
- Roberto, Brother C.S.C. Death Beneath the Trees: A Story of Joyce Kilmer (South Bend, Indiana: Dujarie Press-University of Notre Dame, 1967). NO ISBN (Privately published).
- Smaridge, Norah. Pen and Bayonet: The Story of Joyce Kilmer. (Stroud, Gloucestershire, England: Hawthorn Books, 1962). NO ISBN (Pre-1964).
External links
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
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- Works by Joyce Kilmer at Project Gutenberg
- Kilmer archive, Georgetown University Library
- Joyce Kilmer/Campion College Collection Raynor Memorial Libraries / Marquette University
- 1886 births
- 1918 deaths
- American Catholic poets
- American military personnel killed in World War I
- American World War I poets
- Columbia University alumni
- Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism
- Deaths by firearm in France
- People from Mahwah, New Jersey
- People from New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)
- Recipients of the Purple Heart medal
- Rutgers University alumni
- United States Army soldiers
- Writers from New Jersey
- People from Morristown, New Jersey