Lyndall Gordon

Almost unknown as a poet in her lifetime, Emily Dickinson is now recognized as one of America's greatest poets and, in the view of some, as one of the greatest lyric poets of all time. The past fifty years or so have seen an outpouring of books and essays attempting to explain her poetry and her life. Some critics have used her life to try to explain her poetry, and others have tried to explain her life by referring to her poems, which they assume are autobiographical. In 1882, Emily Dickinson's brother began an adulterous love affair with Mabel Todd, setting in motion a series of events that would forever change the lives of the Dickinson family. Award-winning scholar and biographer Lyndall Gordon tells the story of the feud that erupted-and that still continues today. Making unprecedented use of letters, diaries, and legal documents, Gordon proposes a groundbreaking new solution to the secret behind the poet's insistent seclusion, presenting a woman beyond her time who found love, spirituality, and immortality all on her own terms. Lives Like Loaded Guns(Penguin, $18) is a highly acclaimed story of creative genius, illicit passion, and betrayal that will forever change the way we view one of America's most important literary figures.

Join us for a fascinating discussion of a unique American voice and collect your FREE COPY of The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson, courtesy of THE BIG READ, presented in collaboration with The Center @ Miami Dade College. Refreshments will be served. 8pm

Location: Street: 265 Aragon Ave City: Coral Gables, Province: Florida Postal Code: 33134-5008 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Lyndall Gordon, Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feuds.; Christopher Reid, A Scattering.; Josephine Hart, The Truth About Love.

Love and death are the great poetic subjects. Emily Dickinson was a New England recluse whose poetry, largely unpublished in her life time, burns with passion for the eternal. Lyndall Gordon's new biography, Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feuds, reveals a drama of sex, scandal and betrayal. Christopher Reid's Costa Prize-winning poetry collection, A Scattering, consists of tender and wry elegies for his wife, Lucinda, whose death they record. Josephine Hart, poetry proselytiser, novelist and Chair of the Costa Judges, hosts a discussion of Dickinson's life and work and readings from A Scattering. Her latest novel is The Truth About Love. (DeadGoodBooks)… (more)