May 6, 2013
Diaries, letters, and span of 20 books keep Hollenberg (H.D.: The Poetics of Childbirth and Creativity) focused on the interior life of poet Levertov, her former teacher, in this comprehensive biography where poems are "the most important âfacts'". Poetry was "holy" to Levertov, who committed faithfully to writing at 16. From a girlhood in Essex just before WWII, marriage to Mitch Goodman and its dissolution in America, death of her difficult older sister Olga, to a burgeoning sense of political activism, experiences are secondary, in Hollenberg's hands, to their contexts behind the poems. With surprises for Levertov's most ardent readers (she wrote the playful prose behind an illustrated book about Sylvia the pig), the account should also fascinate American poetry aficionados as Levertov intersects with luminaries (William Carlos Williams, Adrienne Rich, and Robert Creeley, among others) both in intense friendship and occasional quarrel. When describing a rift between Levertov and old friend Robert Duncan in light of their poetic responses to the Vietnam War, Hollenberg considerately points out that Levertov hoped the friendship would reignite "spontaneously" if they met on the street. Questions of identity and the poet's role in the world are touchstones to which Levertov (and her biographer) often return, making this journey worthwhile.
April 1, 2013
Hollenberg (English, Univ. of Conn.; The Poetics of Childbirth and Creativity) uses "revolution" here because to Levertov (1923-97) the word implied political activism, cultural change, and spiritual reawakening. Asserting that the most important "facts" about a poet are her major poems, Hollenberg skillfully interweaves details concerning Levertov's life and works. Born in England, Levertov married an American and moved to the United States following World War II, where she became associated with the Black Mountain poets. To support her morally inclined writings with action, she joined the anti-Vietnam War movement. For Levertov, process was an important concept; the book traces her inner growth as it delineates her literary career, social activism, and the spiritual quest that culminated in her conversion to Roman Catholicism. While Dana Greene's Denise Levertov: A Poet's Life also chronicles the poet's life and career, Hollenberg is much more detailed and has the advantage of having been Levertov's student. VERDICT Primarily of interest to students of literature.--Denise J. Stankovics, formerly with Rockville P.L., CT
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