Recitative is an extraordinary gathering of prose pieces, written over a period of forty years, by one of this country's most distinguished poets. There are essays and interviews, stories and reviews. Some of this material appears here for the first time; most of it has long been out of print or unavailable. Brought together, it is a valuable addition to Merrill's work, offering a unique commentary on his own poems, as well as a range of insights about other writers- all highlighted by a critical intelligence of unusual subtlety, wit, and eloquence. "There are after all," writes Mr. Merrill, "things to be said for prose." Only a poet of his gits could have said so much in these prose pieces—at once a study of and a tribute to the creative temperament.