When Randall Jarrell died in 1965, he left behind a critically acclaimed body of poetry, fiction and literary criticism that has earned him a permanent place in American literature. In these seven essays, his widow writes lovingly and knowingly about the wellsprings and character of his poetry, particularly his work on his last and best book, The Lost World; the creation of his celebrated children's books, The Bat-Poet and The Animal Family; his lifelong friendship with short-story writer Peter Taylor; his dedicated commitment during the last eight years of his life to completing his translation of Goethe's Faust, Part One; and their remarkable and joyous marriage.