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39th out of 92 books
—
34 voters
My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson, probably the most loved and certainly the greatest of American poets, continues to be seen as the most elusive. One reason she has become a timeless icon of mystery for many readers is that her developmental phases have not been clarified. In this exhaustively researched biography, Alfred Habegger presents the first thorough account of Dickinson’s growth–a...more
Paperback, 800 pages
Published
September 17th 2002
by Modern Library
(first published 2001)
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I'd have given this 2 stars were it not solely for the massive amount of research and collecting of letters, dates, history, etc. that precluded the writing of something like this.
However, Emily Dickinson remains just as an elusive figure as before this (or any other attempt at her biography) was written.
In the introduction, a literary critic addressed the fact that sometimes a poet's works were written for personal reasons and were never meant for others' eyes at all.
However, Emily Dickinson remains just as an elusive figure as before this (or any other attempt at her biography) was written.
In the introduction, a literary critic addressed the fact that sometimes a poet's works were written for personal reasons and were never meant for others' eyes at all.
"At certain levels, we are...more
I’m a fairly ravenous reader – and I also teach Dickinson to college freshmen in my Intro to American Literature class – but it took me more than four months to finish this biography of one of my favorite writers, and almost every page was a slog. Dickinson herself struggles to appear in Habegger's version of her life, in part because she is obscured by such a mountain of minutiae and of scholarly score-settling (Habegger’s pedantic and persnickety comments regarding other writers’ bad research...more
Having read discouraging reviews about two recent books about
Dickinson, and having heard that this was highly recommended, I
decided that (as a busy person) I would just sample it, but I ended up
reading all 620 pages straight through. Habegger does an impressive
job weighing evidence and avoiding the speculations of earlier
biographers and critics. Yet in the end, Dickinson proves elusive. I
feel I know a lot more about her life, but I realize Habegger had to
do some speculation of his own. I recomme...more
Dickinson, and having heard that this was highly recommended, I
decided that (as a busy person) I would just sample it, but I ended up
reading all 620 pages straight through. Habegger does an impressive
job weighing evidence and avoiding the speculations of earlier
biographers and critics. Yet in the end, Dickinson proves elusive. I
feel I know a lot more about her life, but I realize Habegger had to
do some speculation of his own. I recomme...more
This book is maddening. At some point biographers (and scholars/academics) have GOT to get together and realize that there is just not enough material to write a decent biography of Dickinson! GIVE IT UP. Habegger writes an exhaustive biography of everyone ELSE in Dickinson's life and tries to connect that to her, but even he frequently admits that "we just don't know" what she was thinking or even DOING most of the time. Knowing what everyone else around me is doing isn't going to tell you a wh...more
Gee, what to say? I'm not qualified to assess this book in terms of its value to scholars, only in the pleasure it may afford to readers. It has been decades since I have read the Richard Sewall biography, but my memory of that work was that it was less dry and more fun to read than this one. It is a very careful book that seldom strays from verifable information and therefore does not present a grand thesis that might catch one's attention. That makes it more trustworthy but less readable than...more
I recently took a tour of Emily Dickinson's house and the tour guide recommended this biography. I have to admit it was a little beyond me in that it assumed a much greater familiarity with her work and with some of the major scholarly theories about her life than I have. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this book, even though it was slower going than usual. The author is obviously extremely knowledgeable about Dickinson's life and work; has extensively studied her writings and those of her famil...more
Mar 27, 2010
booklady
marked it as abandoned
Although this is on my 'abandoned' shelf, it doesn't really belong there and -- God willing -- won't stay there forever. I read a good portion of this book before getting side-tracked by other books I needed to read at the time. This was back when I was still homeschooling and (much like now) I bought books to read--meaning to finish them--but didn't always succeed. What I did read, was excellent!
Habegger's bio of Emily Dickinson is thorough, well-written, fully researched. Chronologically arranged, but it does a good job of tying together various periods of ED's life and thought. Gives a real feeling for the people in her life. May not agree with all of Habegger's comments, but they are generally reasonable, not outlandish or strained. Reads easily - almost a page-turner. Excellent book.
Jun 06, 2012
Anna
added it
Non ho ancora finito di leggere questa ricchissima biografia perch�� in un certo senso ho paura di conoscere... "troppo" di Emily. Ma ho comprato il libro durante la mia breve e indimenticabile visita ad Amherst e ne vado scioccamente fiera. Guardo la bellissima copertina e so che verr�� il tempo di leggerlo fino in fondo. Non ora, per��.
This book is a biography of Emily Dickinson. A very thorough biography. That being said, if you're interested in the growth of prominent literary figures, this would be a great biography to pick up. It is a slow read. I began this book for a free Barnes & Noble University course about Emily Dickinson and her poetry last October, read ax. 250 pages during the month-long course, and set the book down. Determined to finish during this course's July session, though! Despite being slow to read, t...more
Notes when I started this book MONTHS AGO: I'm not generally an avid reader of biographies, but I do love Emily Dickinson, and this particular biography, while of epic length, comes highly recommended.
Notes now that I'm finally %&!(@%^ done with it: DEAR SWEET LORD, this felt like the longest book I have ever read. Perhaps it suffered from my bright idea three chapters in to read the collected poems along with it. Perhaps it suffered from the painfully dry prose and eye-crossing footnotes. I...more
Notes now that I'm finally %&!(@%^ done with it: DEAR SWEET LORD, this felt like the longest book I have ever read. Perhaps it suffered from my bright idea three chapters in to read the collected poems along with it. Perhaps it suffered from the painfully dry prose and eye-crossing footnotes. I...more
O.K., if you're not an Emily fan, this may not be the book for you; however, as bios go, it's entirely readable and even fun. Also offers theory as to why such a brilliant poet didn't want her work published in her lifetime.
I am not a poetry person, though I like some of Dickenson's poems. Her self aggrandizing suffering fits with mental stance for most of my life of bearing a secret sorrow (usually because of some romantic disappointment.) Her secret sorrows seem to be about a minister with whom she had a spiritual relationship & meeting of minds that made her call herself his wife. But much is shrouded in mystery, which makes her story so interesting.
Although I'd read another biography of her 30 years ago, I'...more
Although I'd read another biography of her 30 years ago, I'...more
Loved it & refer back to it on a monthly basis. Read this a few years ago for a class & rediscovered Emily. Our love affair continues to grow...
This was brutal to get through. It is a dense, slow read.
Feb 23, 2007
Richard
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
poets and historians
Shelves:
biography
I've read and re-read this book a couple of times! Its THE best biography of Emily Dickenson, who is the love of my life (yeah yeah, I know she's been dead for 130 years...)
It gives you a really good picture of her family life, her loves and the things that influenced her poetry (almost all of which went undiscovered until after her death). Its a biography, yes, but its also a culteral history of Emily's life and times.
Emily and Walt Whitman are, in my mind, THE 2 most important American poets o...more
It gives you a really good picture of her family life, her loves and the things that influenced her poetry (almost all of which went undiscovered until after her death). Its a biography, yes, but its also a culteral history of Emily's life and times.
Emily and Walt Whitman are, in my mind, THE 2 most important American poets o...more
Superb and mesmerizing.
honorable job.
Jun 16, 2012
Diann Blakely
added it
The aptly titled new biography, by former University of Kansas professor Alfred Habegger, respects the personal and aesthetic fury of many of Dickinson’s best poems—”My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun,” for example—without falling into the trap of reducing them solely to political documents, as is too often the case with contemporary criticism written by academics.
(originally published as part of an omnibus in the NASHVILLE SCENE)
(originally published as part of an omnibus in the NASHVILLE SCENE)
Some heavy reading, but I enjoyed it, as I do like biographies.
I found this was just too detailed for me - I do love Emily Dickinson's poetry, but I'm not ready to assimilate quite this much information about her family background, home town, school, etc, etc. I am impressed by how much research the author has done and his love of his subject, but I'd have done better to start with a shorter overview.
Biography of Emily Dickinson that provides detailed background information on her parents, their upbringings, personalities, and how this characteristics affected the late poetess. While interesting, I didn't finish this book because it is more information than I need for Weber Reads.
This is a vast book about the family and region and times of Emily Dickinson. That's entirely way more than I was interested in reading about, nor do I have to time to read about the ancestors of the poet. There are many who I am certain will love this book, minus one.
Very interesting read - the level of research is obviously extremely high and carefully done. I might have edited down slightly, but other than that I couldn't have asked for a better or more in depth look at ED's life and work.
Ironic that a biography of a creative poetic genius would be written in prose so clunky and inflexible that it could be carved into several pairs of wooden shoes.
Well-researched, but not exactly a riveting page turner.
Well-researched, but not exactly a riveting page turner.
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was a remarkable poet. She wrote many letters, often including poems, but didn't seek publication. This is a book to read with a dictionary at hand. I found it fascinating.
Read it with a dictionary handy, but, oh, my gosh, SOOOOOO good. I learned so much about her, and felt like I knew her after I read it. Very, very highly recommended.
Still slogging thru this one, interesting but detailed and a little much at times- I STILL don't know why she won't come out of the house!
An awesome book from an awesome class! Anything you'd want to know about Emily Dickinson and her life in Amherst, MA.
87 pages in and Em-dawg hasn't even been born yet. Chop chop, Habegger.
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Mar 07, 2013 06:22am
Agreed. I recently read (and adored) the love letters of Nathaniel Hawthorne to his wife, Sophie. But it did feel a little strange reading such p...more
Mar 07, 2013 06:31am