Ropes of Sand

Literary Partnerships

The tongues have been wagging of late about famous and famously doomed literary partnerships. Probably because of the release of books like the new biography of Assia Wevill, who was Ted Hughes' mistress when Sylvia Plath died. The book reportedly portrays Hughes "as a bully who forced her to obey his list of household chores." Read a review in the
Guardian

A little disturbing is the suggestion that the victims of the doomed romances of tomorrow will be more easily accessed by their future biographers: "If one half of the partnership destroys his/her letters, then one half of the correspondence is lost for ever. But if one half of the partnerships destroys all his/her emails, it will not matter, as the other half can still possess the correspondence in its entirety."

More disturbing is the suggestion that the women who lose their lives and minds in "20th-century heterosexual relationships, charged by sexual passion," kind of had it coming: "But it is undeniable that their association with famous literary men has contributed to their stature. The interesting thing about all these women is that they knew it, even at the time." Read about it at the Independent

posted by SAS @ Monday, November 06, 2006