May Sarton

May Sarton's bestselling memoir of a solitary year spent at the house she bought and renovated  "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...

The Irish estate home Dene's Court has been empty for years-its icy visage, shuttered windows, and overgrown tennis court are a burden for its caretakers and a curiosity for the nearby townspeople. And so the announcement that Violet Dene Gordon and her husband, Charles, are on their way back from British Burma to settle in the long-dormant estate sends a ripple of excitement through the sleepy village.   For Violet, Dene's Court stands as a monument...

The debut work of a literary legend May Sarton's career spanned sixty years and included novels, poetry, memoirs, and even children's books, but it was poetry that provided the world's first look at her wondrous talent. Encounter in April is a fitting starting point for readers wishing to familiarize themselves with one of the twentieth century's most lyrical and eloquent authors.   In this anthology, Sarton describes womanhood devastatingly and...

A strong-willed and emotional collection hidden under a well-groomed landscape of words With her debut collection of poems, Encounter in April, May Sarton made an incredible splash in the world of poetry. Her work is impossible to imitate: a mix of stately verse and depth of emotion that lurks beneath every line, creating a tantalizing, magnetically charged distance between reader and poet.   With Inner Landscape, Sarton beckons us forth while eluding...

A striking collection of short poems from acclaimed writer May Sarton. After decades of writing flowing lyric verse, May Sarton's style turned to short bursts of poetry. Likening poetry to gardening, she writes, "Muse, pour strength into my pruning wrist / That I may cut the way toward open space." These condensed poems are rife with exuberant impressions of nature and of love. Included are two of Sarton's most acclaimed poems, "Old Lovers at the...

In the hallowed halls of one of New England's most prestigious colleges, a young woman finds new and unexpected life as professor while a scandal brews just on the periphery On the train north from New York City, Lucy Winter takes inventory of her life. Twenty-seven and newly single, Lucy is headed toward a fate she never anticipated: professorship at a women's college in New England. Her doctorate degree, obtained from Harvard, was more of a hobby...

A beautifully organized collection of a poet's works in homage to nature One of the primary themes of May Sarton's work, especially in the first few decades of her career as a poet, memoirist, and novelist, is a veneration for and desire to understand nature. This yearning is collected in Cloud, Stone, Sun, Vine, which comprises more than two decades of Sarton's impressive output.   The anthology marks a turning point in Sarton's career as her meditations...

An intimate and uplifting memoir chronicling May Sarton's efforts to regain her health, art, and sense of self after suffering from a stroke Feeling cut off and isolated-from herself most of all-after suffering a stroke at age 73, May Sarton began a journal that helped her along the road to recovery. She wrote every day without fail, even if illness sometimes prevented her from penning more than a few lines.   From her sprawling house off the coast...

In May Sarton's debut novel, a mysterious and beloved Belgian poet finds new life when a young Englishman ventures to meet her  Published under the pseudonym Jeanne Latour, Doro's poetry inspired a generation. Her teaching of great literature and philosophy also fired up the imaginations of her young pupils. Throughout her adult life, Doro's most important relationships have been those with Claire and Annette, fellow teachers who have nicknamed themselves...

As she battles debilitating illnesses, May Sarton looks back on her life, cherishes new and old friendships, and finds hope in the brave new world of old age "I always imagined a journal that would take me through my seventy-ninth year," May Sarton writes, "the doors opening out from old age to unknown efforts and surprises." Instead of musing calmly on the philosophical implications of aging, the writer found herself spending most of her energy battling...