An article by Lindsey Nair on December 7th, 2016 in Washington and Lee's blog "The Columns" discusses Ward Briggs' gift. [ https://columns.wlu.edu/dedicated-to-dickey/ ]. The text of the article is below. ---- In autumn 1963, at a classy dinner party in the home of then-Washington and Lee University Dean Bill Pusey, acclaimed poet and novelist James Dickey spoke to a first-year student named Ward Briggs for the first time. Briggs will never forget the words that launched a long, meaningful friendship.
From his position of drunken repose on the sofa, Dickey scowled up at Briggs and said, "Who the hell are you?"
As their relationship matured over the next three decades, so did the quality of their interactions. Nevertheless, after Dickey's death in 1997, Briggs, a retired University of South Carolina Classics professor who graduated from W&L in 1967, found himself contemplating that question as it related to the prolific, passionate and greatly misunderstood 20th-century writer:
Dickey, dear friend, who the hell were you?
"I knew how brilliant he was and what a great and loyal friend he was," Briggs said, "I just didn't understand what a poet he was. So I started gathering up as much of his poetry as I could. I wanted an understanding of him as a poet, to see what my friend's identity really was. Then, as these things came in the mail, I had this feeling that it's almost like he's still out there producing wonderful stuff."
The result of Briggs' sourcing was a large, eclectic collection of Dickey materials, which Briggs has donated to W&L. From first-edition novels and poetry to film posters from "Deliverance," the thriller based on Dickey's 1970 novel, the comprehensive collection is a significant gift.
"Briggs' collection reveals the intellectual development and the constant experimentation of this iconic American literary figure," said Tom Camden, head of Special Collections and Archives at W&L. "Any study of major 20th-century American poets must include Dickey, and Briggs' collection provides the authoritative source for that study."
Dickey, who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, is best known for "Deliverance." But his son, novelist and journalist Christopher Dickey, says his father merely entertained himself by writing novels — he sustained himself by writing poetry. "If you asked him what he really cared about as a writer, it was poetry," Chris Dickey said.
James Dickey realized his love of poetry while serving as an Army radar operator during World War II. At his request, his mother sent him poetry collections so he could entertain and distract himself during terrifying night missions.
"So he really discovers poetry in the cockpit of this plane when he is scared to death, when his life is in danger," Briggs said. "It's an amazing conversion. He just found what he could do."
Between WWII and the Korean War, during which he served in the U.S. Air Force, Dickey earned degrees in English and philosophy from Vanderbilt University. Later, he taught at Rice University and worked in advertising (the character of Ken Cosgrove on the popular AMC television series "Mad Men" is said to have been partially based on Dickey) before diving fully into poetry.
His "Into the Stone and Other Poems" was published in 1960, followed by "Drowning with Others" in 1962 and "Buckdancer's Choice" in 1965, which brought a National Book Award for Poetry. From 1966 to 1968, Dickey was U.S. poet laureate (then called "poetry consultant"), after which time he became an English professor and writer-in-residence at USC. Briggs joined the faculty in 1973, shortly after Dickey became a household name with the 1972 film release of "Deliverance."
The novel, which was published in myriad languages, is considered by many to be one of the best of the 20th century. On Modern Library's list of 100 Best Novels, "Deliverance" is No. 42, above novels by Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, Roth, Updike and other celebrated writers. It made considerable money, landed Dickey on talk shows, and allowed him to hobnob with famous movie stars. Although he would write two more novels and reams of poetry over the next 25 years, nothing in his canon would ever be as well-known as "Deliverance."
Like many gifted writers, Dickey had a multifaceted and complex existence. That included an intense dependence on alcohol, a tendency to epitomize contradictions, and a famous disdain for the truth. Any study of Dickey's work is made more complicated and more fascinating because of these quirks.
Said Briggs, "I mean this not as a personal or ethical critique but as an aesthetic observation: He simply didn't care what the truth was. He cared whether it was a good and entertaining story." At times, this made for challenging relationships. In his 1998 memoir, "Summer of Deliverance," Chris Dickey wrote: "Long before 'Deliverance,' my father had begun to make himself up. And me. He would not tolerate for a minute the world as it was."
Dickey's ability to be competitive and critical was tempered by a deep-seated sensitivity that played out in his poetry, Briggs said, as well as during interactions with strangers, friends and family.
"He certainly did or said his share of wild and crazy things, but as a father he was the most encouraging, attentive, pleasant, conscientious, caring parent you could ever want," said Bronwen Dickey, his daughter and the youngest of his three children. "He would always stop in the middle of what he was doing to play checkers or watch a nature documentary with me."
Dickey died at age 73, having lived much longer than many of the poets he admired. Briggs, aware that Dickey's writings outside "Deliverance" were a mystery to many readers, decided to begin work on the most thorough and accurate edition of Dickey poetry to date. "The Complete Poems of James Dickey," which contains all 331 poems published during the writer's career, was released in 2013. Briggs was careful to ensure that each poem was printed the way Dickey intended, since magazines such as the "New Yorker" often altered poems before publishing them.
The donation to W&L is an effort to spread that respect for Dickey's work to students who may never have read it, or who may be discovering their own love of poetry — as Dickey did in that airplane cockpit many years ago.
"With this collection, or any collection, of Dad's stuff, what would make him the happiest is if it was used as an inspiration for young writers," said Bronwen Dickey. "He was a really dedicated teacher, and he was very enthusiastic and encouraging with young writers."
Chris Dickey said Washington and Lee is a suitable home for his father's works for a number of reasons.
"My father always loved W&L — loved the campus and its history, liked and respected the people he knew there, and wanted me to go there," he said. "We paid more than one visit when I was in high school. In the end, I went to the university a bit farther north, and it was my younger brother [Kevin Dickey] who went to W&L— then left to focus on pre-med and medical degrees at Emory. So we have a soft spot for Washington and Lee in our family, and I am delighted that Ward has given us, now, this very tangible connection."
The materials from Washington and Lee University Special Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with the source. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the Head of Special Collections.
Preferred citation: [Identification of item], The Ward Briggs Collection of James Dickey, WLU Coll. 0511, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
In some cases the citation format may vary. Please contact Special Collections' staff to verify the appropriate format.
Received from Ward Briggs, Washington and Lee University class of 1967, between 2014 and 2017.
This collection consists of 1st editions of a selection of James Dickey's publications (some signed and/or inscribed); Dickey's contributions to books and pamphlets; journal articles by Dickey; interviews; criticism; anthologies; multimedia; photographs; broadsides (some framed, signed); miscellaneous items on his book and the film Deliverance; and publications related to Ward Briggs' book The Complete Poems of James Dickey (U. South Carolina, 2013).
This collection is open for research use.
All books in this box are authored by Dickey. Some (or all?) are first editions.
Includes inscriptions, dedications, signatures by James Dickey.
All books authored by James Dickey. Some are first editions. Ezra Pound Lecture (by Dickey),
Includes inscriptions, dedications, and signatures by James Dickey.
Please see Subject entries for scope of content.
Includes inscriptions, dedications, signatures.
All books are collections of poems by Dickey. .
Includes inscription, dedications, signatures.
Please see the Subject entries for scope of contents.
This box contains anthologies in which Dickey's work is published, as well as several biographical sources on Dickey. Includes inscriptions, dedications, signatures.
This box contains anthologies in which Dickey's work is published. Includes inscriptions, dedications, signatures.
This box contains books in which Dickey has made a contribution, such as an introduction, a translation, etc.
Please see Subject entries for scope and content of box.
Includes inscriptions, decications, signatures.
Please see Subject entries for scope and content of this box.
Includes inscriptions, dedications, signatures.
This box contains literary journals in which Dickey's poems have been published. Includes long runs of
For all other titles, please consult the paper guide to the collection, located in Special Collections, or the box itself.
This box contains journals in which Dickey's poems have been published. It includes long runs of
For other journal titles in this box, please consult the paper guide to the collection, located in Special Collections, or the box itself.
This box contains literary journals in Dickey's poems have been published. Includes long runs of
This box contains appearances of Dickey's work in
Note that Box C6 also contains issues of
This box contains magazines in which Dickey's works have been published, or book reviews about his work appeared:
Entries by and about James Dickey in
This box contains interviews with Dickey published in a variety of magazines, journals, a few newspapers, and books. The book titles are:
This box contains criticism and reviews of Dickey's work. Some items are inscribed and signed.
This box contains mostly books about Dickey's life and work, including some bibliographies. Several books are signed.
This box contains unpublished typescripts of screenplays and other works by Dickey, as well as some biographical and critical works about Dickey.
SCREENPLAYS:
POETRY:
SHORT STORY:
FILM TREATMENT:
BIOGRAPHY and CRITICISM:
Includes some signed pieces.
This box contains books and journals that feature Dickey's work.
This box contains books and journals mostly, but not always, featuring work by Dickey.
This box contains a variety of materials related to the 1972 motion picture
Includes the score of
This box contains large runs of both the
This box contains mostly book reviews in many
This box contains mostly LP vinyl sound recordings, but also books, a film and a few posters. Some items are signed. NOTE: This box is oversized and is not shelved with the bulk of the collection.
LP RECORDS:
BOOKS:
FILM:
This box contains books and newspapers in which a portrait photograph of Dickey is featured.
This box contains issues of featured writers in the James Dickey Poetry Series. It also includes some writings by Dickey's children, and some miscellaneous items, such as a t-shirt related to the movie
This box contains the first copy of Briggs'
This category identifies framed fine press editions of broadsides of some of Dickey's most loved poems, as well as other framed materials. All framed work hangs on racks in the Special Collections' vault.
This box contains materials related to the death of James Dickey. Folder 0 is the Control Folder.
NOTE: Folders 9-12 are not displaying in public interface. FOLDER 9: Carolinian FOLDER 10: Current Biography FOLDER 11: American Poet FOLDER 12: Oxford American
This box contains issues of the USC student newspapers,
This oversized box contains the life mask of James Dickey. It also includes a photograph of Ward Briggs used for display purposes. NOTE: this oversized box is not shelved with the collection. --- In the mid-70s, North Carolina sculptor William Dunlap made this aluminum life mask of James Dickey. Dickey appeared, wearing a replica of the mask on his face, on the February 1976 cover of
This box contains additional materials related to James Dickey, donated by Ward Briggs in March 2017. There is no specific focus. Check the subject headings to learn about the box's content.
Includes: