The genius of the man is reflected in the granite walls of this home that he built with his own hands, this place as enduring and timeless as the poet's work. Later visitors have included William Everson, Robert Bly, Czeslow Milosz and Edward Abbey.Īlmost all of Jeffers' writing was done at Tor House. Vincent Millay, Langston Hughes, Charles Lindbergh, George Gershwin and Charlie Chaplin. Many influential literary and cultural celebrities were guests of the Jeffers family. Later, after World War II, he began work on a new wing that was eventually completed by his son, Donnan. It was completed in less than four years, a remarkable feat since Jeffers built the tower entirely by himself! He utilized wooden planks and a block and tackle system to move the stones and to set them in place.įollowing the completion of Hawk Tower, he added a dining room to the original cottage. In 1920, the poet-builder began his work on Hawk Tower - a retreat for his wife and a magic place for his sons. Oil lamps and candles were the only means of illumination until electricity was installed in 1949. Jeffers apprenticed himself to the building contractor, thus learning the art of making 'stone love stone.' Construction was completed in mid-1919. The granite stones were drawn by horses from the little cove below the house. Modeled after a Tudor barn in England, it contained two attic bedrooms, a main floor guest room, the living room, a tiny kitchen and a single bathroom. The house was intentionally small, set low to the ground to withstand the great storms of winter.

Tor House, his home in Carmel, California, is now a National Historic Landmark, visited by several thousand people every year the Robinson Jeffers Association, an organization of scholars, publishes Jeffers Studies and hosts an annual conference devoted to. It was at the beginning of his time in Carmel that Jeffers turned exclusively to writing poetry. Led by our knowledgable docents, families of 6 or fewer can enjoy an hour long tour filled with poetry, history, and the visual splendor of Tor House and. In some ways, the question is misleading, for Jeffers has always had a wide audience.

Carmel Point, then, was a treeless headland, almost devoid of buildings.Ĭonstruction began in 1918. Tor House is reopening for outdoor tours. He called his home Tor House, naming it for the craggy knoll, the 'tor' on which it was built. He sited the house on a point of land that meets the sea like the 'prow and plunging cutwater' of a ship. The Prize is underwritten by Tor House Foundation Board member John Varady with additional support from Honorary Board Member Allen Mears and Board member Lacy Buck.

Robinson Jeffers, a giant among American poets, planned the original cottage as a home for his wife, Una, himself and their twin sons. The annual Robinson Jeffers Tor House Prize for Poetry was established twenty-six years ago as a living memorial in honor of American poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962).

Tor house robinson jeffers poem