That Adrienne Rich is a not only a major American poet but an incisive, compelling prose writer is made clear once again by this collection, in which she continues to explore the social and political context of her life and art.
Examining the connections between history and the imagination, ethics and action, she explores the possible meanings of being white, female, lesbian, Jewish, and a United States citizen, both at this particular time and through the lens of the past.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Rich is the author of the prize-winning Your Native Land, Your Life and 12 other books of poems, yet these lucid, searching essays spring from her involvement since the early '70s with the feminist movement, and, where they touch on poetry, examine the social and political contexts of its making. In some of them Rich explores her complex identity as white, middle-class, Jewish, lesbian and American, and discusses her radicalization through the influence, largely, of Mary Wollstonecraft, James Baldwin and Simone de Beauvoir. In other pieces she assails "enforced heterosexuality" and, as it obtains in academia as well as society at large, "the ideology of white male supremacy." Rich, who visited the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, considers that the United States has been "deep-frozen for decades in the Cold War," but believes that American feminism, and especially black American feminism, can do much to foster the movements for sexual and political freedom throughout the world.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Rich's support of feminism and lesbian and gay rights, her protest against racism and anti-Semitism, and her belief that artist, university, and state should find moral commitment are all recurring themes in these recent commencement speeches, reviews, lectures, articles, and addresses. Rich not only asserts but demonstrates that every woman's soul is haunted "by the spirits of earlier women who fought for their ummet needs": an essay on Lorraine Hansberry tracks those painful contradictions of a black, female writer addressing those who are neither, while in an essay on Jewish identity, Rich herself exemplifies the difficulty of confronting one's roots. Throughout, Rich underscores the duty of American woman artists "to take women's existence seriously as a source for art." Highly recommended. Rosaly DeMaios Roffman, English Dept., Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rich vs. Reaganism,
This review is from: Blood, Bread, and Poetry: Selected Prose 1979-1985 (Norton Paperback) (Paperback)
"Blood, Bread, and Poetry: Selected Prose 1979-1985" brings together a thought-provoking collection of essays and speeches by Adrienne Rich. A prolific poet, Jewish woman, feminist, lesbian, political activist, and mother of three sons, Rich attempts to bring all of the pieces of herself into play as she confronts a host of intellectual, artistic, and ethical issues.As the book's subtitle indicates, all of these pieces were written between 1979 and 1985, and thus the book as a whole serves as a valuable document of the intellectual work of a radical thinker under the neo-conservative shadow of the Reagan era. The book also evokes the waning decade of the Cold War. Rich writes with great passion about feminism, and with great anger about the violence and oppression directed at lesbians from centuries past to the time in which these pieces were written. She often quotes or pays tribute to other writers who have inspired and impacted her: James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and others. Rich covers much intriguing ground in these prose pieces. "The Problem of Lorraine Hansberry" may inspire you to re-read Hansberry's classic play "A Raisin in the Sun." "Split at the Root: An Essay on Jewish Identity" is a compelling autobiographical piece that examines her mixed Jewish/gentile heritage, her marriage and life as a mother, and her eventual emergence as a lesbian. A number of essays deal with her interest in the Sandinista revolution of Nicaragua. Despite the often grim and humorless subject matter, I find Rich to be a remarkably engaging writer. At best, her work is challenging and genuinely thoughtful. As companion texts to this worthwhile collection I recommend the following: Audre Lorde's essay collection "Sister Outsider" and Tony Kushner's two-part play "Angels in America." For complementary perspectives on revolutionary Nicaragua, try the poetry of Gioconda Belli and Daisy Zamora. Finally, check out the two inaugural addresses of Reagan as well as former New York Governor Mario Cuomo's keynote address to the 1984 Democratic Convention; these political speeches can be found in the more recent editions of "A Documentary History of the United States," edited by Richard Heffner.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book,
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This review is from: Blood, Bread, and Poetry: Selected Prose 1979-1985 (Norton Paperback) (Paperback)
If you are interested in Rich's work, this book is a must-buy. It contains famous essays (like "Compulsory Heterosexuality") and other key works. It is easy to read, well-organized, and essential for the Rich fan or scholar.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rich prose,
By Mikel Parent (Waltham, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Blood, Bread, and Poetry: Selected Prose 1979-1985 (Norton Paperback) (Paperback)
Adrienne Rich's prose collection Blood, Bread and Poetry spans almost sixteen years of writing. Those who are familiar with Rich's poems will find themselves in familiar intellectual and emotional territories. While I enjoy Rich's poetry much more than her prose (who doesn't enjoy poetry more than prose), Blood,... still had a freshness of voice and language that was surprising for a book that tackles philosophical and political material. For those who are interested in really delving into Rich's poetry (and her writings in general) the book is definitely worth reading at least once. I also feel the book is a must for anyone who is serious about writing. Overall, it was a satisfying read that I've come back to on occasion
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