David Bottoms talks James Dickey and 'Complete Poems'

• University of South Carolina Press

Before James Dickey became a widely acclaimed poet he worked as a copy writer for an advertising agency. In regards to that time he once famously said, "I was selling my soul to the devil all day and trying to buy it back at night." Evidently he did the right thing, as he later went on to win a National Book Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an appointment as the Poet Laureate Consultant to the Library of Congress. Many people have debated his personal life and have made claims against his character, but his poetic legacy is inarguable. On July 15, there will be a celebration of Dickey's career and the publication of The Complete Poems of James Dickey, including 331 poems.

CL spoke with David Bottoms - former Poet Laureate of Georgia - about James Dickey's career and legacy.

What was your relationship with James Dickey?

David Bottoms: We were friends for about 16 years. I admired Dickey a long time and sent him a copy of my first book when it was published in 1980. He invited me up to Columbia and we shot some bow and arrows and played a little guitar. He was an incredibly intelligent man. He was probably the smartest man I ever met which was intimidating. He had a photographic memory. We talked a lot about sports, and then he would be talking Heraclitus and he'd expect you to keep up which made me very nervous.

He was very kind to me and very generous. I know there are some stories about him being rude to people, but I never saw that side of him.