Marguerite Young (1)Recensioni

I can't say I finished this book, but I have read it. Its sentences can be pages long, its allusions run into other allusions which turn into yet other allusions. But the characters are luminous and the language unique. If you finish it, let me know. This book is another universe, Young a goddess. "The next wave will take you as it took this watery world and all the sleepers in their beds locked in the arms of love, ghostly love, dead love who cried, sighed, sobbed, whispered, whispered but a little while, whispered to the silent ear, the unlistening heart, and none shall know himself when the light of dawn streams like a silver river through a cloud, dark cloud, or like a river pouring from the mouth of the heavenly centaur."

http://msarki.tumblr.com/post/108249292218/inviting-the-muses-stories-essays-rev...

Beginning my first study of the highly acclaimed, but seemingly lightly read, Marguerite Young, I chose this Dalkey Archive collection that features three of her short stories, some essays, and a few reviews of books she has read and felt she had something to say about them. It occurred to me that my choice of material for my very first introduction to the “grande dame of American letters” was quite fair, and actually the most direct and honest way into the mind of this talented writer. I think we learn so much about a writer when we read first-hand of the things which make them tick and those that, for one reason or another, fail to generally have the same lasting impact. It was refreshing for me to learn that even in 1945 literature suffered from the same disease it suffers from today, and that popular writers rarely make historical figures, and they, and their works, are often completely forgotten in due time. Marguerite fails to hold back and restrain her negative criticism of these particular writers and the woeful ones who read them. I like also that she found Jean Paul Sartre a bore and as meaningless as his concepts are. But it did not surprise me at all that she felt Carson McCullers a writer worthy to spend valuable time reading her work and entering into the worlds she creates in her brilliant and intelligent fiction.

Marguerite Young can herself also write a fine short story. All three offerings included in this book were extremely sophisticated and have now expedited my enlarged expectations for my sooner, rather than later, reading of her behemoth of a fiction titled [b:Miss MacIntosh, My Darling|596358|Miss MacIntosh, My Darling|Marguerite Young|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364314316s/596358.jpg|583036].

I did wholesomely welcome her gargantuan fervor as I read her words. I thoroughly enjoyed her strength, and the intelligent arguments and positions she took to make her stand on. There was also a confidence portrayed that bodes well for the relationship we both will share in the coming months. Though she herself is sadly gone from the physical world that I live in today, she is certainly still present and accountable through the published works she has left for us to be enjoyed, examined, and more generally uplifted as these whispers of her genius grow.

Vol. 2 - Miss MacIntosh, My Darling

Wow! What an epic novel. I truly took my time reading this one. I savored each line over a period of nine months, thirteen interceding books, six birthdays, five holidays, and an anniversary. So, what is my point? If you have the patience, it is a wonderful read.

What I enjoyed most about MMMD is the author’s painterly, dream-scape imagery. She created a panoramic impression of society in all its forms – pathological, illusionistic, and beautiful- as witnessed and understood by her characters. If you think Young’s portrayals chimerical, bear in mind that, her characters were depictions of people she knew during her lifetime.

Young’s love for poetry and words is evident. She has the ability to describe the same thing in many different ways. Although sometimes tedious, her work is definitely not boring. Each reconstruction feels new and separate from the other. The effect is richly developed characters whose experiences, eccentricities, delusions, and metaphysical journeys are fascinating.

It has been said that MMMD is the American version of Ulysses, a tribute to the unique characteristics of Young’s writing. Whatever the interpretation or review, my recommendation is to read this novel slowly and resign yourself to the fact that, if you want to understand the full scope of Young’s work, it will take a longer time to read than other books of this length. There is so much to absorb and think about on all different levels. However, do not panic, nine months was idiosyncratic to my love for this masterpiece. One to two months is typical for the average reader. Enjoy!

Young’s hugely ambitious novel falls somewhere between the logic of surrealism and magic realism. This modern classic offers a cyclic family saga told in long, sustained stream-of-consciousness passages. Open any page at random, and prepare to be dazzled by the beauty of its imagery. A favourite of poets and visual artist.

I truly enjoyed reading Volume I. It was beautifully written with lyrical prose so profound and lovely I felt compelled to stop and savor each line. Volume I loosely examines political, theological, psychological and existential issues, including birth, death, and marriage from various points of view. My book of literary quotes has grown by leaps and bounds. I am giving this book 4 ½ stars, though it probably deserves five. I am holding out for my final analysis with the reading of Volume II.½

This book was purchased for a History course, American. It is one of the most unusual books I have ever opened. It is unique! I cannot say I read the entire thing. The author is a poetess of some note and the language is very poetic. It is also convoluted and excessive. I wondered how the other, much younger, students coped with it.
There is, as a result, a great deal of information of the life and times of Eugene Debs and his father and every one they met! The senor Debs was born in France about 1830. As a young man he met a girl from his village whom he was forbidden to marry. The young couple elope to America and settled in Terre Haute Indiana. Here Eugene himself was born in 1855. There is a great deal of interesting information about the settling of the Midwest, especially Indiana and Illinois. We learn why the Wabash was important, which most of us know from "On the Banks of the Wabash", a song in our music lessons. As young Debs grows up he becomes involved in the Socialist movement. He is eventually the Foremost leader of the Socialist movement in America. He ran for President on the Socialist ticket many times.
This book could be improved and the information it contains preserved by re-issuing it with better editing. Perhaps as three books! There is ample material.
Now that I have written this review I think I will not give it away, but retrieve it and read it in small bites!

"I believe that all my work explores the human desire or obsession for utopia, and the structure of all my works is the search for utopias lost and rediscovered. " - M. Young. Book brought to publication by Chs. Ruas.