From the author of Vanessa Bell: A Bloomsbury Portrait (1983), a
comprehensive look at the life and literary work of Stevie Smith
(1902-1971) - whose unorthodox, sometimes humorous, deceptively
deep poetry won her acclaim throughout England and entree into
intellectual society even as she continued to work as a secretary
and live in an unfashionable London suburb. A seemingly difficult
subject, Smith guarded her privacy: with friends, she preferred to
giggle and offer up sharp observations rather than share
confidences. Established critics have largely ignored her, yet, as
a person, she has continued to fascinate. In the 60's, looking
older than her years (and dressed in little-girl clothes), she
mesmerized audiences at poetry readings - her lisp and her tendency
to sing her poems off-key only added to the power of the
performance; Glenda Jackson later starred in Stevie, a stage play
and movie based on her life. Spalding uses the public record,
reminiscences of those who knew her, and Smith's autobiographical
novels. Largely eschewing theoretical interpretation, she favors
human understanding (noting that some of she personal material
seems ripe For psychoanalytical interpretation) and traditional
critical analysis of sources, influences, and form (noting that the
poetry has been strangely neglected by feminist literary critics -
who) would have a field day with it). A serious study of an
outsider poet, acknowledging her eccentricities while emphasizing
her accomplishments and the rich, active life of her mind. (Kirkus
Reviews)
Spalding reveals and explores the intimate relationship between the
course of Stevie Smith's life and the evolution of her art, into
which she assimilated not simply the events and emotions of her
private life, but the influences on her imagination of her wide and
varied reading. Photos.
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