James Wright:

1943 at age 16 he had his first nervous breakdown

he suffered from a bipolar mood disorder

received electroshock therapy

he received psychotherapy, it helped but it wasn’t a cure

was an alcoholic

when he separated from the family his drinking got worse

April 23, 1959 wrote a letter about his attempted suicide

His iambic style was perfected in Saint Judas

1958 he was put down in a poem review magazine, he vowed never to write again, didn’t stick to vow

continued to write in iambic as he attacked his old iambic self

turned on himself in "At the Executed Murderer’s Grave", neatly berating himself for neatness

1961 Amenities of Stone was to be published, which had a mix of old and new poems, showing his growth. But it was never published and when The Branch Will Not Break came out his readers were put off by the big surprise.

The Branch Will Not Break: simple images embody almost unbearable tension between deathward suffering and the desire to endure, to love, and to accept the world’s pleasures.