John Berryman Poems

John Berryman was an American poet and an incredibly important figure in American poetry in the 20th century. He’s part of the confessional school of poetry alongside writers like Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath. His best-known work is The Dream Songs and includes many free verse poems labeled with numbers.

Dream Song 14

by John Berryman

‘Dream Song 14’ is a short poem that is one of Berryman’s most popular and anthologized. It was published in

Dream Song 29

by John Berryman

‘Dream Song 29’ is one of Berryman’s most popular and anthologized. It was published in his 1964 volume, 77 Dream Songs,

Henry’s Understanding

by John Berryman

‘Henry’s Understanding’ by John Berryman is a chilling and image-rich description of Berryman’s state of mind towards the end of his life as he contemplated suicide.

The Ball Poem

by John Berryman

John Berryman is an incredibly interesting writer who is best-known from his “Dream Songs,” a collection of 385 “songs” that

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