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Did You Know Val Kilmer Was a Poet? Inside His Rare Books and Hidden Passion for Writing Amid His Sudden Death
Discover Val Kilmer’s lesser-known journey as a poet, from his rare self-published book to the deeply personal verses shaped by love, fame, and loss.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of an individual's death.
Val Kilmer was known for his iconic Hollywood roles, including Iceman in Top Gun and Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever. But beyond his acting career, he was also a poet.
He wrote poetry for much of his life, starting in his twenties while studying at The Juilliard School. His passion for writing continued for decades, with some of his work published in 2021, as per the Hollywood Reporter.
Val Kilmer, who passed away this week at 65 from pneumonia, once said, “Poetry is a very subjective and intimate expression. It’s literally your heartbeat. Your rhythm. The song of your soul.”
In 1987, Kilmer self-published My Edens After Burns, a collection of poems he wrote during his early Hollywood years. The book was printed in a limited number of copies, which he initially gave to friends and family as Christmas gifts.
Some copies were also sold, but Kilmer later bought most of the unsold editions and kept them in his garage. Over time, he handed them out at events, including the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.
Kilmer’s poetry was deeply personal, focusing on love, mortality, spirituality, and his experiences in Hollywood. One poem in the collection, The Pfeiffer Howls At The Moon, was dedicated to his former girlfriend, Michelle Pfeiffer. Given the small number of copies available, My Edens After Burns is now a rare collectible. A first edition is listed for USD 3,500 on Amazon.
Kilmer’s writing was influenced by his relationships and life experiences. He had high-profile romances with Michelle Pfeiffer, Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, and Cher. He was also married to actress Joanne Whalley for eight years, and they had two children together. Many of these relationships likely inspired his poetry.
His life was filled with both artistic success and personal struggles. The 2021 documentary Val revealed details about his battle with throat cancer and the impact of his brother Wesley’s childhood death.
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