4.06/5
Author: Nancy Milford
Publication Date: Sep 10, 2002
Formats: PDF,Paperback,Kindle,Hardcover,Audio,Cassette
Rating: 4.06/5 out of 7361
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
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Jan 13, 2013
For your ears. You can thank me later.Aug 29, 2007
This is one long book and I wanted more. Not more pages. More poetry. And way more salaciousness. Alas, Nancy Milford is a patient professional who carefully presents well-documented facts with little innuendo.Aug 01, 2007
I'm biased because Edna St. Vincent Millay is my absolute favorite poet. So learning more about her was very interesting to me.Mar 31, 2009
What a riveting biography of a remarkable literary and feminist icon. It took Nancy Milford 30 years to write this biography of "Vincent" - and after you read it, you can understand why. Milford remains remarkably true to her sources - a vast treasure trove of at-that-point-unseen letters, journals, notebooks, unfinished works, and more from Edna St. Vincent Millay's estate. In the book, she lets the sources stretch their legs and breathe, allowing us readers to stew in Vincent's rich, What a riveting biography of a remarkable literary and feminist icon. It took Nancy Milford 30 years to write this biography of "Vincent" - and after you read it, you can understand why. Milford remains remarkably true to her sources - a vast treasure trove of at-that-point-unseen letters, journals, notebooks, unfinished works, and more from Edna St. Vincent Millay's estate. In the book, she lets the sources stretch their legs and breathe, allowing us readers to stew in Vincent's rich, impeccable writing. We get to read full letters, full ten-page poems. We are transported into the thick of her sumptuous drama-laden life. Yet Milford allows Vincent's literary triumphs, her frank eroticism, her late-in-life petulance, addiction, and downward spiral to unfold quietly, without a hint of sensationalism. Above all, this book feels honest.May 07, 2014
I haven't read a lot of biographies of writers, but this year I read two, and I think I've figured out what the biggest challenge is in documenting the life of a creative person: Most of them don't leave behind much writing about their creative process. As a result, any biography of a writer is going to focus on what can be documentedtheir various relationships, their travels, the awards they've won, bad behavior that others witnessed and never forgot. This is all well and goodafter all, I think I haven't read a lot of biographies of writers, but this year I read two, and I think I've figured out what the biggest challenge is in documenting the life of a creative person: Most of them don't leave behind much writing about their creative process. As a result, any biography of a writer is going to focus on what can be documented—their various relationships, their travels, the awards they've won, bad behavior that others witnessed and never forgot. This is all well and good—after all, I think most people who read biographies are looking for this sort of detail about the subject's life, and, when it comes to creative process, are content to let the work speak for itself. The problem that arises, though, is that the subject can become divorced from her creative output to such an extent that when she's quoted saying something that displays her intellect and her sheer focus on her work, it's almost jarring—you suddenly remember that Millay, for example, isn't just a woman with lots of lovers and an active social life, she's also a poet. In this particular case, I think Nancy Milford also just didn't entirely understand Millay, and as a result is not able to integrate her more, shall we say, impetuous side with the obviously disciplined mind that created all those popular and praised works. The other problem with biography is that when the subject has self-destructive tendencies—as a fair amount of creative types do, unfortunately—the whole thing just tends to end very badly, devastatingly even. I kind of wish I didn't know some of the things I now know about Edna St. Vincent Millay.Jul 24, 2009
This book is far too long for the subject matter at hand. I could certainly have stood 100 fewer pages of ESVM's whining. In hindsight, it was a poor choice for my first biography. It has left a horrible taste in my mouth for the entire genre.Jun 20, 2007
I will admit that I didn't know of Edna St. Vincent Millay before starting on this book and so I greatly enjoyed the introduction to her poetry - certain poems are excerpted at length in this book and I found them to be lovely and insightful. Moreover, the portrait of Edna and her entire family was detailed, layered and complex. In fact, the entire description of Edna's life called out for psychological interpretation at nearly every turn. Although I never felt that I really liked any of the I will admit that I didn't know of Edna St. Vincent Millay before starting on this book and so I greatly enjoyed the introduction to her poetry - certain poems are excerpted at length in this book and I found them to be lovely and insightful. Moreover, the portrait of Edna and her entire family was detailed, layered and complex. In fact, the entire description of Edna's life called out for psychological interpretation at nearly every turn. Although I never felt that I really liked any of the characters, I found them to be realistic and fascinating as well as products of their particularly interesting time period.May 30, 2010
As a third grader, I read every biography our school library held. They were all library-bound, olive drab or dull blue, stamped on the spine in white or black letters with a name and a subtitle. My favorites were Benjamin Franklin and Helen Keller; from then on, I wanted to get into publishing and Radcliffe College, and the astronaut dream was jettisoned. After I exhausted those two or three library shelves, though, I let the biographical form go, and only a few have passed through my hands As a third grader, I read every biography our school library held. They were all library-bound, olive drab or dull blue, stamped on the spine in white or black letters with a name and a subtitle. My favorites were Benjamin Franklin and Helen Keller; from then on, I wanted to get into publishing and Radcliffe College, and the astronaut dream was jettisoned. After I exhausted those two or three library shelves, though, I let the biographical form go, and only a few have passed through my hands since then. The only one that comes to mind is a disappointing biography of Salinger, read in the hope that it might lay some new salvaged planks in the floor of my heart. It did not. The writer couldn't get his hands on the good stuff, and spent most of the book recounting his frustrated research process. It left me wanting, my heart still tacky with the glue I'd laid down in anticipation, but still, I was reassured by Salinger's stubbornness.Apr 25, 2019
What a splendid research work made by Nancy Milford in describing the life and work of this remarkable poetess.Jul 02, 2008
Review: Savage Beauty written by Nancy MilfordSep 18, 2017
I devoured this book and it broke my heart. Three sisters. All so clearly close. And what talent this poet had. The third woman to win the Pulitzer for Poetry. And it also rather bothers me that so few people even know her name among my contemporaries. Read this biography, please!May 20, 2019
This was my second read, and I loved it just as much as the first time.Jun 22, 2007
This is a remarkable biography, for a multitude of reasons.Sep 18, 2010
I've been reading the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay lately, so I was pleased to find this book in one of the boxes that my aunt sent at the beginning of the winter. I knew very little about the poet and her life, so this biography, thirty years in the writing, makes me want to take a new look at the poems. Although I feel that there are some faults in Milford's biography, seeing the poetry against the background of a life, often troubled but always adventurous, added a new dimension to my I've been reading the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay lately, so I was pleased to find this book in one of the boxes that my aunt sent at the beginning of the winter. I knew very little about the poet and her life, so this biography, thirty years in the writing, makes me want to take a new look at the poems. Although I feel that there are some faults in Milford's biography, seeing the poetry against the background of a life, often troubled but always adventurous, added a new dimension to my understanding.Feb 05, 2010
A few thoughts as I continue to reflect on this book and ESVM.Jul 25, 2008
Just started this, but so far so good. Millay was a very "out there" character for her time. She was promiscuous and not choosy about which sex she slept with. She smoked and drank and partied. She was politically vocal and active. She hated the Lindberghs and publicly spoke out against them when they were advocating the Nazis. People adored her, but also hated and feared her. Thomas Hardy once said that there were only two good things about America--the skyscraper and the poetry of Edna St Just started this, but so far so good. Millay was a very "out there" character for her time. She was promiscuous and not choosy about which sex she slept with. She smoked and drank and partied. She was politically vocal and active. She hated the Lindberghs and publicly spoke out against them when they were advocating the Nazis. People adored her, but also hated and feared her. Thomas Hardy once said that there were only two good things about America--the skyscraper and the poetry of Edna St Vincent Millay. This book was written with the help of her sister who allowed the author to view letters and writings and photos that no one else had ever been privy to.Jul 11, 2012
I was introduced to the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay this past semester when I took an Intro to Poetry class. We read I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed and What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why. From that point on, I have been a major fan of Millays work and I wanted to know more about her. So I looked around for a good biography to read and found Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay.Jul 01, 2014
Wish I could give 4.5 stars. Fantastic biography -- fascinating and exhaustively documented from beginning to end. Much of that is due to the fact that Edna St. Vincent Millay lived such a *life* and had such entirely engrossing relationships while composing her classic poetry. The book jacket reviewers call her life both "inspiring and cautionary" and ... yeah. There's a hell of a lot of caution in there as well. But you can certainly say that Ms. Millay never shrunk from living. Great book.Jun 28, 2016
Milford's critical biography of Millay is a masterpiece: detailed, meticulous, and stark. Vastly more textured than Epstein's biography (which I also enjoyed, but for different reasons), with the weight of Millay's personal papers and correspondence adding an almost uncomfortable level of intimacy. If Milford wrote a second book about the process of writing this book (including detailed descriptions of ALL her interactions with Norma Millay at Steepletop), I would read that as well.Sep 01, 2007
The thing about biographies is that I float around the house for days, pretending to be the dowdy best friend of the subject. Or alternatively the glamorous best friend, if my biofeedback is in alignment. And I floated on this one for WEEKS. Just a great combination of interesting circumstances, genius, weird personalities and all things fabulous. And a darn good poet.Sep 15, 2010
I was working for Virginia Hamilton Adair when I read this book. I was telling her about it, and said that Edna's mother had to work all the time, and they didn't have money, but she made sure they were surrounded by poetry.May 06, 2014
An exquisitely rendered biography of a complex and talented American icon.Dec 20, 2011
Savage Beauty does not dispel the impression that Edna St. Vincent Millay was a major life but a minor poet. This well-written biography quotes many poems in full, including "Renascence," which early won Millay warm admiration from poets and editors, and financial support for an education at Vassar. The biography occasionally grades the poems it quotes, saying of one "extraordinarily lovely" and of another "masterful." It is, however, more interested in identifying the addressee of the poems, Savage Beauty does not dispel the impression that Edna St. Vincent Millay was a major life but a minor poet. This well-written biography quotes many poems in full, including "Renascence," which early won Millay warm admiration from poets and editors, and financial support for an education at Vassar. The biography occasionally grades the poems it quotes, saying of one "extraordinarily lovely" and of another "masterful." It is, however, more interested in identifying the addressee of the poems, and other details from Millay's life. A discussion of the style of "The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver" begins insightfully but ends too quickly by linking the harp with a woman's head to the lap loom on which Clara Millay, Vincent's mother, wove hair for a living. Interesting identification, but it is surely not the last word on the poem.Mar 26, 2017
It is astonishing how much research went into this biography. I feel like I knew Edna St. Vincent Millay. I love reading about the various artists in this time period of the Jazz Age. There is an amazing amount of detail gathered about her life, family, friends, and ambitions. In addition, it was a lookApr 25, 2018
I loved this biography so much, still thinking about it a lot a month after reading it. I'd read a few Millay poems but knew nothing about her -- so this book read almost like a fictional story where I was like, WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN TO EDNA?!? Except it was her actual life. Brings up a lot of interesting themes -- sister/mother dynamics, ambition, selfishness/freedom vs. dependency in romantic relationships, devotion to writing/poetry, bohemianism, love for home&country vs. I loved this biography so much, still thinking about it a lot a month after reading it. I'd read a few Millay poems but knew nothing about her -- so this book read almost like a fictional story where I was like, WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN TO EDNA?!? Except it was her actual life. Brings up a lot of interesting themes -- sister/mother dynamics, ambition, selfishness/freedom vs. dependency in romantic relationships, devotion to writing/poetry, bohemianism, love for home&country vs. restlessness/expat life. I feel like Millay really squeezed the juice out of her life, for better and for worse. Also such an interesting time period, she lived 1852-1950. ...moreTake your time and choose the perfect book.
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