In this collection of prose writings, one of America's foremost poets and feminist theorists reflects upon themes that have shaped her life and work.
At issue are the politics of language; the uses of scholarship; and the topics of racism, history, and motherhood among others called forth by Rich as "part of the effort to define a female consciousness which is political, aesthetic, and erotic, and which refuses to be included or contained in the culture of passivity."
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About the Author
Widely read, widely anthologized, widely interviewed and widely taught, Adrienne Rich (1929–2012) was for decades among the most influential writers of the feminist movement and one of the best-known American public intellectuals. She wrote two dozen volumes of poetry and more than a half-dozen of prose. Her constellation of honors includes a National Book Award for poetry for Tonight, No Poetry Will Serve, a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant in 1994, and a National Book Award for poetry in 1974 for Diving Into the Wreck. That volume, published in 1973, is considered her masterwork. Ms. Rich’s other volumes of poetry include The Dream of a Common Language, A Wild Patience Has Taken Me This Far, An Atlas of the Difficult World, The School Among the Ruins, and Telephone Ringing in the Labyrinth. Her prose includes the essay collections On Lies, Secrets, and Silence; Blood, Bread, and Poetry; an influential essay, “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence,” and the nonfiction book Of Woman Born, which examines the institution of motherhood as a socio-historic construct. In 2006, Rich was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters by the National Book Foundation. In 2010, she was honored with The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry's Lifetime Recognition Award.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Carise
Format:Paperback
Adrienne Rich is a thinker, and yeah, the reader who said this book was outdated is probably right about that. Thinking IS pretty outdated these days - as are truth and authenticity. Although this book is written from a feminist perspective, Rich's commentary on the destructive aspects of lies, secrets and silence applies to all of humanity.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Shannan
Format:Paperback
Rich's work remains thoughtful and provoking even now. The changing feminist consciousness revealed by her collected essays is a fascinating portrait of a growth over time. This book deserves far more than one star.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As I have educated myself in adulthood, first as an undergraduate, then in time, two MA degrees, one in theology, this book has named realities I see in women's lives with greater nuance than anyone else I read. Her prose and her poetry is very fine and insightful. The reader who gave it one star probably couldn't get his (?her) head around the references to what it's like to be a lesbian and double discriminated against--and hated by the dominant culture. I'm straight but not narrow. If we are going to progress as a species we need to be able to stretch our minds and hearts to understand the social location of the writer. That is why professors require books like this. Once your mind is stretched it never goes back to the tight little rubber band it once was. It can stretch around more books.
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