To truly appreciate the famous poet's work, access the New York Times' "Online Audio Special with Randall Jarrell." This special event excerpts a Jarrell reading at the 92nd Street Y's Poetry Center, from April 28, 1963. This link provides access to the entire reading (1 hour, 5 minutes), or you may choose to listen to shorter pieces. You may also access a few related New York Times articles about Jarrell. A superb resource when studying Jarrell.

The Randall Jarrell Collection at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
http://www.uncg.edu/lib/arch/jarrell/

At this Website maintained by the UNCG, you'll find an extensive timeline of the famous writer's entire life, a basic biography of the author, and the Randall Jarrell Collection (via e-mails).

New York Times on the Web: Randall Jarrell
http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/08/01/specials/jarrell.html

Click here to view news and reviews of Jarrell from the archives of the New York Times. Included here are reviews of nearly 20 of Jarrell's earlier works, selected articles by Jarrell, some articles about Jarrell, poetry selections, related links, and an excellent audio link. A good resource to use as an introduction to the writer and his works.

Modern American Poetry: Randall Jarrell
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/jarrell/jarrell.htm

If you're looking for a wealth of important information about Jarrell and his world, this is a most comprehensive site. Focusing on the writer's war poetry, you can access excerpts from his letters describing army life, read articles regarding his war poems ("The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner," "2nd Air Force," "Protocols," etc…), and get informed about the Holocaust and World War II.

BIOGRAPHY
Randall Jarrell (b. 1914) was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Jarrell graduated from Vanderbuilt University in 1935, and accepted a teaching position at Kenyon College in Ohio, where he earned his M.A. in literature. In 1940 he left Kenyon to teach at the University of Texas. The year 1942 was busy for Randall Jarrell; he published his first book of poems, Blood for a Stranger, made a reputation for himself in The New Republic as an insightful but ruthless critic of poetry and poets, and joined the army, serving in the air corps for four years. After leaving the army he published two books of poetry, Little Friend, Little Friend (1945) and Losses (1948), and is considered one of the few writers to successfully grapple with the horror of World War II. Jarrell continued to write poetry while serving as literary editor for The Nation and teaching English at Sarah Lawrence College. Also at this time he changed the scope of criticism to praise the great poets rather than savage the mediocre ones. His essays on Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, William Carlos Williams, and many others remain classics in contemporary literary criticism. In 1961 he affirmed his place as an accomplished poet as well as critic when his collection The Woman at the Washington Zoo (1960) won the National Book Award. In addition to his poetry and criticism, Jarrell has also translated works by such prominent literary figures as Chekov and Goethe. Randall Jarrell was struck by a car and killed on October 14, 1965.