JAMES DICKEY

4620 Lelia's Court

coLUMBrA, S. C. 29206

August L4, 1992

To whom it may concern:

r have known Jim varn rorJbrr years. He was a student of mine

at the University of South Carolina in a course on modern poetry
I teach.there. r also directed hj-s doctoral- work; his dissertation
was received with great enthusiasm by the faculty and the administration.
r have been in the university field for well over forty years,
and I can recaLl few students among the--1itera1ly--thousands who
have studied with me that have impressed me more with their
talent and integrity than Jim varn. His work is consistently
original and insightful, and reflects a deep personal commitment
to literary scholarship. His intelligence is outstandingty
resourceful, and his dedication to literature and the life of
the mind is enough to make any teacher who encounters him grateful
for Mr. Varn's availability to the profession.
Here, r would like to reiterate the enormously valuable man of
letters that Dr. varn j-s, and to put in what word r can on his
behalf. He is a singular schorar, quick and deep, and would be
an outstanding asset to your iaculty.
Sincerely,