Appearing in book form for the first time, this treasure trove of letters illuminates the life of the beloved poet/writer from early childhood into middle age. All her life, May Sarton carried on a voluminous private correspondence―with family, friends, and lovers. From the beginning, as these remarkable letters show, the essence of an extraordinary human being was present, her gifts ready to unfurl and mature. Fittingly, an early letter thanks parents for books. Later we enter the world of the theater, then years rich with study, travel, teaching, and the discipline of craft. Sarton's deep anguish as World War II approaches pervades many letters, but readers will also encounter the things that gave Sarton her love of flowers, her affection for animals, her celebration of beauty in all its guises. As Sarton divides her time between America and Europe, in an era when ocean voyages were the norm, illustrious acquaintances and intimates are introduced, among them Eva Le Gallienne, Elizabeth Bowen, Virginia Woolf, Muriel Rukeyser, Julian and Juliette Huxley, and Louise Bogan. Always, Sarton's voice is clear and courageous, startlingly candid about her passions, her moods, and her vulnerabilities. Her words, seeming as fresh as when they were written, stand against the backdrop of the crucial events of the century as she invites old and new readers into her personal world. 50 photographs
Author
Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name Susan Sherman is a poet, a playwright, an essayist, an editor, and a cofounder of IKON magazine who also opened IKONbooks, a bookstore which served as a cultural and movement center. She has had 12 plays produced off-off-Broadway, has published seven collections of poetry, and is the author of the memoir America’s Child: A Woman’s Journey through the Radical Sixties. Her work has been published in many periodicals and anthologies, including the American Poetry Review and the Nation. Rona L. Holub is a historian, a teacher, and the director of the Women’s History Graduate Program at Sarah Lawrence College. She specializes in women’s history, urban/immigrant history, especially that of New York City. She serves on the board of All Out Arts, Fighting Prejudice Through the Arts, and is a licensed New York City Tour Guide. Colleen McKay, is a photographer whose work has been featured on book covers and exhibited in such venues as the Henry Street Playhouse. She is the former staff photographer for IKON magazine. They all live in New York City.
