ABOUT THIS BOOK

Two friends, a lifetime of letters, and an intimate look at a literary icon

Carl Sandburg first encountered Kenneth Dodson through a letter written at sea during World War II. Though Dodson wrote the letter to his wife, Letha, Sandburg read it in tears and told her, "I've got to meet this man." Composed primarily of their correspondence that continued until Sandburg's death in 1967, The Poet and the Sailor is a chronicle of the deep friendship that followed. Ranging over anything they found important, from writing to health and humor, the letters are arranged by Richard Dodson and are accompanied by a foreword from Sandburg's noted biographer, Penelope Niven.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Kenneth Dodson was a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy and author of the famous wartime memoir Away All Boats. This volume was edited by Kenneth’s late son, Richard Dodson, who spent over five years compiling and editing the letters and correspondence.

REVIEWS

"The Poet and the Sailor is a rewarding book in several ways and a daring and rewarding choice for the University of Illinois Press. It offers a glimpse into the aesthetic and the working methods of a major Illinois writer. . . . The reader finishes The Poet and the Sailor feeling that he or she has come to know two remarkable writers and human beings."--Journal of Illinois History

“The correspondence between Sandburg and Dodson suggests a considerable amount about Sandburg’s literary instincts, about how the older writer responsibly tutored the younger, and about Sandburg’s great human warmth. Even without the Sandburg connection, the Dodson letters are of great value, because they are the reflections of a bright, self-taught, sincere, and faithful man.”--Philip R. Yannella, author of The Other Carl Sandburg

"Dodson's war letters recounted the harrowing and sometimes exultant steps in [an] epic journey, and Sandburg increasingly admired not only the exploits of Dodson the sailor but the strengths of Dodson the writer. . . . As this book documents, Sandburg and Dodson built a lasting friendship on the foundation of their letters. . . . Dodson wrote to Sandburg as graphic an account of the war as military censorship and security would allow, and also entrusted to Sandburg his dreams about writing. In turn, Sandburg not only gave writing advice, he confided in Dodson some of the challenges in his own work, particularly Remembrance Rock. He also offered Dodson astute advice, writer to writer . . . but in the 1940s and '50s, at the pinnacle of his fame, he seldom had time to serve as a mentor for other writers. Dodson was an exception--and Sandburg took a deep interest in him as a promising writer, almost a surrogate son."--From the Foreword by Penelope Niven, author of Carl Sandburg: A Biography

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Title

Copyright

Contents

Foreword by Penelope Niven

Introduction

Acknowledgments

1. The Beginning of the Friendship

2. At War

3. After World War II

4. Retirement from the U.S. Navy

5. Getting Down to Serious Writing

6. Carl Sandburg’s First Visit to the Dodsons

7. Writing Becomes a Top Priority

8. Correspondence January 1950 to October 1951

9. Carl Sandburg’s Second Visit to the Dodsons

10. The Book Is Finished and Published

11. Carl Sandburg’s Performance at the Opera House, Seattle

12. Carl Sandburg’s Aging and Death, 1967