HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Journal of a Solitude: The Journals of May…
Loading...

Journal of a Solitude: The Journals of May Sarton (original 1973; edition 1993)

by May Sarton (Author)

Series: Sarton Journals (4)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,1041918,121 (4.01)30
The poet and author's "beautiful . . . wise and warm" journal of time spent in her New Hampshire home alone with her garden, her books, the seasons, and herself (Eugenia Thornton, Cleveland Plain Dealer). "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is richness of self." --May Sarton May Sarton's parrot chatters away as Sarton looks out the window at the rain and contemplates returning to her "real" life--not friends, not even love, but writing. In her bravest and most revealing memoir, Sarton casts her keenly observant eye on both the interior and exterior worlds. She shares insights about everyday life in the quiet New Hampshire village of Nelson, the desire for friends, and need for solitude--both an exhilarating and terrifying state. She likens writing to "cracking open the inner world again," which sometimes plunges her into depression. She confesses her fears, her disappointments, her unresolved angers. Sarton's garden is her great, abiding joy, sustaining her through seasons of psychic and emotional pain. Journal of a Solitude is a moving and profound meditation on creativity, oneness with nature, and the courage it takes to be alone. Both uplifting and cathartic, it sweeps us along on Sarton's pilgrimage inward. This ebook features an extended biography of May Sarton.… (more)
Member:Jess_M
Title:Journal of a Solitude: The Journals of May Sarton
Authors:May Sarton (Author)
Info:W. W. Norton & Company (1993), Edition: Illustrated, 208 pages
Collections:Your library, Currently reading, To read, Read but unowned, Favorites
Rating:
Tags:tsundoku, to-read, own

Work Information

Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton (1973)

Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 30 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)
Het lijkt een eenvoudig boek met natuurbeschrijvingen en gedachten maar het is zeker iets om over na te denken. Het thema eenzaamheid: enerzijds belangrijk om productief te kunnen zijn en iets om naar te verlangen, anderzijds is er de behoefte aan relaties en het delen van ervaringen en gezelligheid. ( )
  elsmvst | Feb 7, 2024 |
This book was recommended to me by a client who struggles with needing solitude as much as I do -- yet also fears the inevitable loneliness that comes with it. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up JOURNAL OF A SOLITUDE. I don't typically read books written nearly 5 decades ago. Still, I love getting glimpses into people's journals and understanding their innermost, intimate thoughts.

I loved Sarton's observations on women, creativity, and the need for solitude. Those passages touched me deeply, and I found myself taking notes and lamenting how little has changed in 50 years. However, I was bored by Sarton's obsession with flowers, gardening, and the birds in her backyard.

I've seen some criticism that calls Sarton self-absorbed, but we ARE reading a journal here. I think people who bemoan her focus on introspection forget that self-exploration is exactly what journaling is for. This is true even when someone writes a journal with the ultimate intent to publish it (as Sarton admitted in a later interview). Overall, this was a quick, easy read with some gut-wrenching observations sprinkled in among a love letter to nature. ( )
  Elizabeth_Cooper | Oct 27, 2023 |
Yes. This. ( )
  Kim.Sasso | Aug 27, 2023 |
This is not my first time reading May's journals, but it's my first re-read since the invention of the Goodreads app, so I'm just recording the date I finished my latest re-read, if that makes any sense. ( )
  Jinjer | Jul 19, 2021 |
There were parts and passages of this short work that I loved and that made me stop and consider. Some were moments of insight about our human condition, others were simple descriptions of the raccoons or woodchuck in the car, or the flowers. I found other sections or long quotes more difficult as they were overly academic (my view) and not of great interest. The appeal and penalties of solitude are captured brilliantly in a number of places. ( )
  shaundeane | Sep 13, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Sarton, Mayprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Gago Domínguez, BlancaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
Para Eric Swenson
First words
September 15th: Begin here.
!5 de septiembre. Empiezo aquí.
Quotations
Ocúpate de sobrevivir. Imita a los árboles.Aprende a perder para luego recobrar, y recuerda que nada permanece igual por mucho tiempo, ni siquiera el dolor, el dolor psíquico. Resiste. Déjalo pasar. Suéltalo.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

The poet and author's "beautiful . . . wise and warm" journal of time spent in her New Hampshire home alone with her garden, her books, the seasons, and herself (Eugenia Thornton, Cleveland Plain Dealer). "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is richness of self." --May Sarton May Sarton's parrot chatters away as Sarton looks out the window at the rain and contemplates returning to her "real" life--not friends, not even love, but writing. In her bravest and most revealing memoir, Sarton casts her keenly observant eye on both the interior and exterior worlds. She shares insights about everyday life in the quiet New Hampshire village of Nelson, the desire for friends, and need for solitude--both an exhilarating and terrifying state. She likens writing to "cracking open the inner world again," which sometimes plunges her into depression. She confesses her fears, her disappointments, her unresolved angers. Sarton's garden is her great, abiding joy, sustaining her through seasons of psychic and emotional pain. Journal of a Solitude is a moving and profound meditation on creativity, oneness with nature, and the courage it takes to be alone. Both uplifting and cathartic, it sweeps us along on Sarton's pilgrimage inward. This ebook features an extended biography of May Sarton.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (4.01)
0.5
1 3
1.5
2 9
2.5 3
3 32
3.5 5
4 71
4.5 8
5 63

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

W.W. Norton

An edition of this book was published by W.W. Norton.

» Publisher information page

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,230,725 books! | Top bar: Always visible