Elizabeth Smart's 1945 prose poem is a fierce, lyrical account of a love affair, based on her relationship with the poet George Barker. The narrator, a young Canadian woman, travels across America to meet her lover, who is married, and the book follows their liaison, her pregnancy, the guilt and the abandonment she feels. The language is dense with biblical echoes, Shakespearean rhythm and raw emotion, and the narrator oscillates between ecstasy and despair, trying to hold onto desire while knowing it is costing her everything.
Readers of poetic fiction, and anyone who wants to read an early, unsparing treatment of a woman's passion, will find it intense. It is a short, rewarding read for those who like language at full volume.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1945
- Language
- EN
