Eliot's New Life

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This biography is the first to probe in depth T. S. Eliot's secret mental romance with Emily Hale, a Bostonian who replaced his mentally ill wife Vivienne as the muse of his mature years. Seeking release from his tormented first marriage, the poet made Emily his guardian spirit, according to Gordon; the need to diagnose suffering and evil motivated his Four Quartets and Sweeney Agonistes. Yet, when his wife suddenly died, leaving him free to remarry, he ditched Emily, having taken upon himself the lone path of the religious ordeal. Bossy, brainy Mary Trevelyan, a close friend who proposed marriage to Eliot twice, served as his prop during the most public phase of his career. Not until age 68, when he married his secretary Valerie Fletcher, did Eliot exchange solitude for intimacy and true love. In this sequel to her Eliot's Early Years , Gordon has fashioned an engrossing, highly original biography that uses previously unavailable letters to forge dozens of new links between his personal life and the poems and plays. Photos. (September)

Library Journal

Using Dante's La Vita Nuova as a metaphor for the spiritual life, Gordon successfully analyzes Eliot's life as a process of spiritual growth evident chiefly in such works as The Four Quartets and The Family Reunion. She relies on previously unpublished letters and manuscripts to paint a significantly different portrait of Eliot than the one found in Peter Ackroyd's standard biography, T.S. Eliot : A Life ( LJ 11/15/84). Like Ackroyd, she emphasizes the destructive powers of Vivienne, Eliot's schizophrenic first wife. But she goes on to underscore the highly influential role of Eliot's American friend, Emily Hale, and the equally powerful friendship with the Englishwoman Mary Trevelyan. Well written, amply illustrated, and clearly developed, this work is strongly recommended. Daniel L. Guillory, Millikin Univ., Decatur, Ill.

Booknews

This long awaited conclusion to Eliot's early years (1977) offers a radical new approach to the poetry and plays of his mature years. Draws on many unpublished papers to provide much new information about his complex relations with the women in his life. Gordon reveals a powerful autobiographical substrate in Eliot's later work and elucidates the profound impact of American Puritanism on his sense of vocation. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)