Birth of daughter Charis in Carmel, California
Poet involved
What happened
Orrick Johns's daughter, Charis, was born in 1931 in Carmel, California, to Johns and his third wife, Caroline Blackman. Charis was later taken to live with her grandmother after her mother was hospitalized for mental illness, creating a painful separation that left a lasting emotional mark on the poet.
Literary impact
The birth of Charis inspired some of Johns's most intimate and tender poetry, including the sonnet sequence in 'Wild Plum,' which celebrates fatherhood and the hope that children represent. The subsequent separation from his daughter due to family tragedy added a layer of melancholy to his later work, infusing his poems with a deeper sense of loss and paternal longing.
Source: Wikiwand
