Loving Robert Lowell

Poet, documentarian, and novelist (Playing Tahoe) Hochman shares the riveting details of her affair with Pulitzer-winning poet Robert Lowell in this intoxicating slice of memoir. In 1961, both poets were leaving failing marriages when they met at the Russian Tea Room in New York City. In Hochman’s own words, “It was as if a bolt of lightning had hit him and me at the same time.” The two fell madly in love and embarked on a passionate relationship that included impromptu poetry readings on the Brooklyn Bridge and elbow rubbing with the literati. Before long, the pair were talking about marriage. Life seemed idyllic until a disastrous dinner with Lowell’s friends, literary power couple Barbara and Jason Epstein, followed by an accusation-filled exchange with a friend of Hochman’s. A joyous engagement party turned violent unearthed a secret that ended Hochman and Lowell’s romance. Hochman’s narrative is punctuated with moving poems written by her at the time and a transcript of an insightful letter Lowell wrote on being a conscientious objector. She superbly captures Lowell’s effusive personality, which is palpable throughout this engaging glimpse into the private life of a famed poet. (June)