PRIVATE DEMONS, THE LIFE OF SHIRLEY JACKSON, Judy Oppenheimer
I read this book in December, 1987, being a big fan of Shirley Jackson all my life. I once had a nice fat collection of Jackson's work, which was damaged by ice that broke through our ceiling, soaking everything beneath. I have never replaced most of it unfortunately. But I think I've probably read most of the collected pieces of fiction she wrote and all of the novels, enjoying the domestic stories as much as the very dark ones. Her bifurcated writing interests seem like two sides of a very familiar coin.
This book, and there may be a newer one by now, tries and succeeds in explaining much about Jackson's life. Raised by an abusive mother, married to a man (esteemed literary critic, Stanley Hyman) who recognized her brilliance but didn't let that interfere with his affairs, Jackson managed to write some of the most original stories of her era. She feared anonymity after death; feared the public would not understand the meaning of her stories. Jackson's accounts of family life (RAISING DEMONS, LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES) are as much fun to read as her darker novels and stories. Oppenheimer is very skilled at tying incidents in Jackson's life to stories she wrote at the time. She uses interviews and anecdotes to great effect. If you want to understand where stories like THE LOTTERY came from, this book will help.
For more Friday's Forgotten Books, see Evan Lewis
I will be back on my reliable computer next week. I am so grateful to Evan Lewis and Todd Mason for taking on this chore. And I am going to follow their example, and just post the links once each week making my Fridays much easier. So The Summing Up goes to archives.
My review of SIDE EFFECTS is on Crimespree Magazine.
3 comments:
I hadn't heard about this book at all - thanks very much Patti, this sounds great, I really want to see if I can track down a copy.
Cheers,
Sergio
Something, and I don't remember what, turned me off to Jackson's writing, so this is probably not a candidate for my TBR, but I appreciate the review. I've been perfectly happy with the guy's handling of FFB, but it will be great to have you back, though I think you'll miss SoCal. I still do sometimes. I think just posting the links with the names and the book titles all at once is a good idea.
It took me five years to decide it was too time consuming. See you next Friday.
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