May Sarton: Among the Usual Days is a treasure trove of
Sarton's unpublished writing, carefully selected by longtime friend
Susan Sherman from almost seventy years of correspondence and
journals stored in the New York Public Library's Berg Collection,
in May Sarton's own files, and in other archives. Thematically
arranged, these passages reflect the seasons of her flowering
as writer, teacher, daughter, lover, friend, and fiercely independent
thinker.
Lavishly illustrated with previously unpublished photos of Sarton
and her closest companions from infancy to the present, in May
Sarton: Among the Usual Days all of the abiding themes of
her craft recur and expand: her respect for poetic form, hunger
for love, appreciation for the centrality of solitude, commitment
to enduring friendship, unabashed relish for the natural world
in all its aspects, and zeal in pursuit of honesty above all,
no matter what the cost.
Appearing in book form for the first time, this treasure trove
of letters illuminates the life of the beloved poet/writer from
early childhood into middle age.
All her life, May Sarton carried on a voluminous private correspondence
with family, friends, and lovers. From the beginning, as these
remarkable letters show, the essence of an extraordinary human
being was present.
As Sarton divides her time between America and Europe, in an era
when ocean voyages were the norm, illustrious acquaintances and
intimates are introduced. Always, Sarton's voice is clear and
courageous, startlingly candid about her passions, her moods,
and her vulnerabilities. Her words, seeming as fresh as when they
were written, stand against the backdrop of the crucial events
of the century as she invites old and new readers into her personal
world.
May Sarton's love for Juliette Huxley, ignited that first
moment she saw her in 1936, transcended sixty years of friendship,
passion, silence, and reconciliation. In the extraordinary breadth
and variation of these letters, we see Sarton in all her complexities
and are privy to the nuances of her rich amitié amoureuse
with Juliette, the preeminent muse and most enduring love
of her life.
The letters chart their meeting; May's affair with Juliette's
husband, Julian (brother of Aldous Huxley), before the war; her
intense involvement with Juliette after the war; and the ardent
and life-enhancing friendship that endured between them until
Juliette's death. While May's intimate relationship with Julian
had not been a secret, her more powerful emotions for Juliette
had.
Recent Titles:
May Sarton: Selected Letters 1955-1995
At Fifteen: A Journal
Catching Beauty: The Earliest Poems
1924-1929
To find out more about these three books edited by Susan Sherman go to: NEW BOOKS by Sarton
In addition to the above three volumes, Susan Sherman, a close
friend of May Sarton's during the late years and the official
editor of her letters, is also editor of two chap books, Forward
into the Past, a festscrift honoring Sarton's eightieth birthday,
and To Bid Us Still Rejoice, a selection of Sarton's unpublished
poems. Having taught English for 27 years, Sherman is now at work
full time on future volumes of the letters and other Sarton projects.
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