How refreshing to see her name again! I fell in love with Edna St. Vincent Millay in my late teens. In college I gifted a copy of her complete works to a classmate. A decade later I ran into her and was shocked to find out she spent some time in prison. She told me she was able to get her copy of Millay’s poetry and read it over and over while incarcerated. She told me that ‘Edna St. Vincent Millay saved her life’. Yes, the Public needs this kind of poetry.
Yes. I’m glad you said the S-word. The idea of accessible and sentimental art has been anathema since the 20th cent. moderns took over. But we don’t have to live like this!
Such a good clarion call for sentimental glorious accessible poetry - still hard, still good writing - that elevates the multitudes!
How refreshing to see her name again! I fell in love with Edna St. Vincent Millay in my late teens. In college I gifted a copy of her complete works to a classmate. A decade later I ran into her and was shocked to find out she spent some time in prison. She told me she was able to get her copy of Millay’s poetry and read it over and over while incarcerated. She told me that ‘Edna St. Vincent Millay saved her life’. Yes, the Public needs this kind of poetry.
What a lovely story, thanks for sharing.
Good call dredging this one out of the memory hole. I'm glad to see it come across my inbox this week. Well done piece about a lyricist nonpareil.
Happy to hear that. Thanks, Mark.
P.S. I realize she was modern but my hope is in the Romantics :)
Perhaps Romanticism’s time has truly come around again to save us. This was wonderful!
Yes. I’m glad you said the S-word. The idea of accessible and sentimental art has been anathema since the 20th cent. moderns took over. But we don’t have to live like this!