Why is this just to say so famous?
William Carlos Williams is well known for his poem "This Is Just To Say," written in 1934. Sure, "The Red Wheelbarrow" is his most renowned poem, but "This Is Just To Say" has all the high drama of a soap opera with its juicy, stunning confession: because William Carlos Williams penned it. Yes, he wrote it on an electric typewriter, and yes, he signed it with his full name. It may not be the longest poem in the world or even one of his best poems, but it's still interesting to know that someone born in 1883 could have been responsible for its creation. Besides being a notable poet, William Carlos Williams was also a physician who helped found the department of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He treated patients with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and depression and conducted research on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the brain. In 1917, when Williams was only twenty-five years old, he published his first collection of poems, called _Spring and All_. The book received critical acclaim and helped establish him as a major force in modern poetry. In addition to writing poetry, Williams also dabbled in prose including a novel called _Kora in Hell_ that was never published during his life time. In 1931, after establishing himself as a physician, Williams moved to New York City where he joined the American Poetry Society and later became president of the organization.