Miss Coffin and Mrs. Blood: Poems of Art and Madness [Paperback]

Sandy Diamond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1994

Miss Coffin and Mrs. Blood are attendants in a mental institution. In and out of hospitals, a young manic-depressive artist gives us an insider's view of madness. In rough-hewn visual language, Sandy Diamond carves her journey from the abyss - broken back, shattered memory, paper shoes - to the artist thirty years later "walking on air." The way is studded with hunchbacks and painters, lovers and healers. The narrator's passion for and allegiance to art makes Miss Coffin and Mrs. Blood a love story. When the artist rides the subway, impasto and glaze cover her fellow passengers. The names of oil colors ooze with sensuality; kitchen receptacles serve as palettes "until everything tasted of Mars Violet and Viridian." Beneath the literal story of Miss Coffin and Mrs. Blood seethes everyone's story - as we fight what is oppressive to the body and the spirit, as we redeem what was lost, we strive to be the authors of our lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Begin Sandy Diamond's Miss Coffin and Mrs. BloodMary Sarton

About the Author

Sandy Diamond studied literature at Brandeis University and received a BFA from Columbia University's College of Painting & Sculpture under a painting fellowship. In 1986 she edited, calligraphed and illustrated Bliss, Danger & Gods: Quotes of Risk & Passion, now in its third printing. This is her first book of poems. Sandy Diamond lives in rural Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 74 pages
• Publisher: Creative Arts Book Company; 1st edition (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887391044
• ISBN-13: 978-0887391040
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,775,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.