Did you know the Library of Congress has a bunch of blogs covering a wide variety of topics? They never fail to be interesting. On the science and tech blog a few days ago they had a post about Emily Dickinson and science. You might wonder how the two are connected, but they are. Dickinson, as the post suggests, had quite a scientific turn of thought. Not to mention that Dickinson was a famous gardener and plant collector. Her herbarium has been digitized (via Page-Turner). The plants are so beautifully preserved and expertly labeled. I bet she would have been a really interesting person to know and walk with through a garden or down a country lane!
Speaking of the Library of Congress and poets, the LOC holds the archive of the poet Muriel Rukeyser. Not long ago a researcher discovered an unpublished novel in her papers. The novel, Savage Coast, was written in 1936 after Rukeyser had returned from Spain where she covered the People’s Olympiad in Barcelona, an alternative Olympiad to Hitler’s Berlin Games, on assignment for Life and Letters To-Day. The novel is finished but was rejected for publication. The rejection letter is still attached to what is the only known remaining draft of the novel. Now it has been edited and recently published. I love Rukeyser’s poetry and plan on buying a copy of the novel.
And while we are on the subject of poetry, Isabella found this fantastic quiz, if words were weapons, what poet would you be?. It is connected with a new book by Max Berry called Lexicon in which students are trained to use the hidden power of language to manipulate and control the minds of others. Those who are recruited by this organization adopt the names of famous poets in order to conceal their true identity. Am I weird, or do you think that sounds totally awesome too? And when I took the quiz, I got Elizabeth Barrett Browning so I’m practically a superhero.
That test is weird! And I’m Charlotte Bronte!
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Ian, isn’t it weird? Charlotte Bronte is a good one!
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How interesting–I literally laughed out loud at the quiz. I got Virginia Woolf.
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Vanessa, the quiz is a hoot. Woolf, of course, is awesome, but she’s not a poet so I wonder how she got tossed in there?
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I agree about the LOC blogs! I subscribe to a few of them. So much to read all the time! gaaaah!
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rhapsody, I know, I can’t keep up with all the reading most of the time!
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Golly…I’m T.S. Eliot! Not sure whether that’s a good thing. And on top of that, only 0.05% of the population matches me (at what, I don’t know). But it was fun.
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Grad, T. S. Eliot, goodness! You are a very complex person apparently 🙂
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I’m Sylvia Plath–should I be worried?! I have Savage Coast on my wishlist, too! I am sure I’ll be ordering it eventually as well, though maybe I’ll luck out and my library will get it.
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Danielle, Bookman got Sylvia Plath too so I hope I don’t have to worry about either of you! I thought about getting Savage Coast from the library but then I have a small collection of Rukeyser’s poetry so I think I should have her novel too 🙂
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Max Berry… why is that name so familiar? I’m sure we already have a book by him. Oh! Company, I think that’s what it’s called, and he is supposed to be an intriguing author. Lexicon does sound very good and I will look out for it. I was too scared to do the quiz, but now I’ve come over all curious. I might just have to have a peek.
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I don’t know who Kathleen Raine is either! I couldn’t place why Max Berry’s name seemed so familiar either but eventually connected it to Jennifer Government which I haven’t read. I do plan on reading Lexicon though and if I like it, who knows, perhaps his other books will make into my reading pile.
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He’s an Australian author I’d never heard of until US-based blogger Guy Savage (His futile preoccupations) named him as his favourite author. I’ve now bought one book, Company, for Mr Gums who enjoyed it, but I still haven’t read it.
I got William Wordsworth and match 0.04%. I suspect that’s part of Barry’s joke too!
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I’m Kathleen Raine, apparently. How amusing – I have no idea who that is! 🙂
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I’m Yeats. How nice! 😉 Very entertaining quiz, indeed.
That LoC, adding years to my necessary reading…
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