Yaddo - by Micki McGee (Paperback)

About the Book

Yaddo is a rich account of America's premier artists' retreat, which has hosted some of the twentieth century's most renowned writers, composers, and visual artists. Hannah Arendt, James Baldwin, Saul Bellow, Leonard Bernstein, Elizabeth Bishop, Truman Capote, Flannery O'Connor, Aaron Copland, Langston Hughes, Carson McCullers, Sylvia Plath, Philip Roth, Clyfford Still, and William Carlos Williams all lived and worked at Yaddo. Richly illustrated with photographs, prints, intimate letters, papers, and ephemera from archives and collections at both Yaddo and TheNew York Public Library, this collection provides a window into the famously private institution, recounting the experiences of the artists who took advantage of a bucolic retreat to tap into--and mingle with--genius. With essays by Marcelle Clements, David Gates, Allan Gurganus, Tim Page, Ruth Price, Barry Werth, Karl Emil Willers, and Helen Vendler, and an overview by curator Micki McGee, Yaddo is a collaborative project that revisits the major moments of twentieth-century American culture and history.

Book Synopsis

Established by a pair of philanthropists who believed adamantly in the power of creativity, Yaddo has hosted some of the twentieth century's most renowned writers, composers, and visual artists, including Hannah Arendt, James Baldwin, Saul Bellow, Leonard Bernstein, Elizabeth Bishop, Truman Capote, Flannery O'Connor, Aaron Copland, Langston Hughes, Carson McCullers, Sylvia Plath, Philip Roth, and Clyfford Still.

Richly illustrated with photographs, prints, intimate letters, papers, and ephemera from archives and collections at both Yaddo and The New York Public Library--many of which have never before been seen by the public--Yaddo offers a window into the workings of this famously private institution and insight into the lives and circumstances of the artists who lived and worked there. It examines the relationship between the premier artists' colony and the ideals of democracy and individuality that inform an American vision. From Aaron Copland to Robert Lowell, from Agnes Smedley to Langston Hughes, the volume shares the stories of those who visited this haven and highlights the debates and controversies that threatened to break apart its tranquility. With essays by Marcelle Clements, David Gates, Allan Gurganus, Tim Page, Ruth Price, Barry Werth, Karl Emil Willers, and Helen Vendler, along with an overview by curator Micki McGee, Yaddo revisits the major moments of twentieth-century American culture and history.

Review Quotes

[A] beautifully illustrated and engagingly compiled book.--Angus Trumble "Times Literary Supplement"

Few names in American arts and letters resonate like Yaddo... This lavishly detailed book offers an intimate glimpse into life at this enchanting and storied retreat.-- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Micki McGee is a sociologist and cultural critic on the faculty of Fordham University and the curator of the exhibition Yaddo: Making American Culture at the New York Public Library. Formerly a faculty fellow at New York University, she is also the author of Self-Help, Inc.: Makeover Culture in American Life.