Meaning a Life by Mary Oppen
A classic of twentieth-century American autobiography now back in print with previously unpublished material from the authors archive
"Originally published by Black Sparrow Press and now saved from obscurity, this sonorous autobiography from painter and poet Oppen chronicles the lives of two literary soul matesAlthough George won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1969, Mary’s memoir is by no means in his shadow; their love and intellectual union is rhapsodically mutual and an inspiring achievement to behold. The author divined meaning and guidance from the literary lives around her and channeled those forces into a passionate memoir that will continue to resound with readers even decades after its publication." -- Kirkus
"Now, when we are more atomized than ever — by partisanship and political lies, by contagion and its economic fallout — reading Mary’s autobiography reminds us that life is important, but that living is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The end is, as she tells us from the start, meaning" -- Los Angeles Review of Books
"Now, when we are more atomized than ever — by partisanship and political lies, by contagion and its economic fallout — reading Mary’s autobiography reminds us that life is important, but that living is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The end is, as she tells us from the start, meaning" -- Los Angeles Review of Books
Mary Oppen (1908–1990) was a writer, painter, activist, and the lifelong partner of the poet George Oppen. Besides her autobiography, she published two collections of poetry, Poems & Transpositions and the chapbook Mother and Daughter and the Sea. Jeffrey Yang is the author of four books of poetry, most recently Line and Light. His translations include Ahmatjan Osman’s Uyghurland, The Farthest Exile and Bei Dao’s autobiography City Gate, Open Up: “crafted with poetic precision and enriched by Yang’s assiduous translation” (The Wall Street Journal).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780811229470 |
| ISBN 10 | 0811229475 |
| Title | Meaning a Life |
| Author | Mary Oppen |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | New Directions Publishing Corporation |
| Year published | 2020-05-12 |
| Number of pages | 304 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |