Wagner—knowledgeable, perceptive, and wise—guides us gracefully through Hughes’s poems so that we see with a new clarity his...
The literary editor of the Times (of London) revisits the oft-told lives of Hughes and Plath, focusing on Hughes’s Birthday Letters (1998), the volume he addressed to Plath shortly before his death.
Wagner argues that the principal poetic difference between Plath and Hughes was that she was confessional while he was intensely private. After a lengthy introduction (consuming one-fifth of the text), the author establishes a pattern she maintains the rest of the way: short chapters that relate the significant events in the lives of the two writers (often in their own words—or in the words of family and acquaintances), followed by a close reading of the Birthday Letters poems that deal with those same events. (Each chapter is introduced by an old-fashioned, single-paragraph argument—a device of questionable necessity in a work this brief.) Wagner does not suggest that literature and life are one: “Poems,” she says, “may be linked to events, but they are not those events; they are themselves.” Still, she strives mightily to connect images in Hughes’s work to moments in their actual lives—and to similar images in Plath’s writing. And so, once again, we follow the dark arc of Plath’s short life: the untimely death of her father, her first suicide attempt (a deadly serious one) in 1953, her treatment at McLean Hospital, her time at Cambridge, her fiery, erotic meeting with Hughes, their marriage on Bloomsday in 1956, their joint struggle to succeed as writers (Hughes’s early successes, Wagner suggests, contributed to Plath's depression), their travels and tribulations and eventual separation in the summer of 1962 (Hughes’s infidelity the foremost cause), her suicide on February 11, 1963, her transfiguration into feminist icon. Wagner explores, as well, Hughes’s near-absolute silence about Plath until the startling publication of Birthday Letters.
Wagner—knowledgeable, perceptive, and wise—guides us gracefully through Hughes’s poems so that we see with a new clarity his responses to his life with Plath, and to her lamentable death. (8 pages b&w photos, not seen)Pub Date: April 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-393-02009-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2001
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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