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A review of Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay

by Nancy Milford

Life of the Bohemian poet of the Jazz Age chronicled to great effect

Reviewed by: Helen Harvey
About Helen Harvey

Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay Edna St.Vincent Millay (1892-1950) became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was the epitome of the Bohemian lifestyle, living it with legendary decadence and flair.

Having persuaded Millay's sister and sole heir, Norma, to give her access to hundreds of Millay's personal papers, letters, and journals, Milford weaves them, Millay’s major poems, quotes from friends, and interviews with Norma into a rich tapestry illustrating a short, but complex, life with great fascination and poignancy.

Revealed is the portrait of a charismatic and flawed seductress, who, despite having an adoring husband, in a marriage that spanned 27 of her 58 years, was promiscuous, and prone to infidelity and addiction. Dying prematurely tormented by drugs, alcohol, pain, and sorrow, having fallen down a flight of stairs and broken her neck. The author does not speculate on the often-pondered question as to whether it was intentional or accident.

In a brief life of excess, shame, and self-indulgence, married with a breathtaking creativity that rendered her one of the world’s truly great poets, Milford’s captivating biography reflects how exquisitely, and often tragically, life can reflect art.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay

Copyright © by Helen Harvey, 2002

Reviewed by Helen Harvey:
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