Re: CAS, Marie Bonaparte, and biographers
Posted by:
calonlan (IP Logged)
Date: 21 December, 2008 06:00PM
Sorry, don't have any recollection of speaking with him of those folk. He intensely wanted his work to stand alone on its own merits - rise or fall -- this was the problem I faced at a symposium on Eliot's "The Cocktail Party" in which I had played Reilly -- the panel of experts and theologians were all fussing about trying to figure out Eliot's "deep" meanings in this "comedy", and its significance in the overall history of 20th cent. literature etc., ad nauseam, ad infin. - I put it to them simply, the real issue for the writer is whether or not it works as theater -- time has made its judgment - no one does it anymore. On the whole, the type of biography done in some prefaces to reprints, first looks like "in Memoriam" and "The Sorcerer Departs", are generous (even loving) memorials, and regrets at his overall neglect by the academic world - -- Clark resented the petty psychoanalysis approach, or attempts to uncover some dark secret part of his soul hidden from the world - bluntly, he was a man - next he was a man who managed to do the thing he loved, with minimal effort put into mere physical survival - be assured he would have loved to have had great fame and wealth suddenly poured on him, but he spent not one second of his life in regret, but savored moments with friends, and savored solitude - when necessity intruded, he dealt with it (pick fruit, chop wood, went to Tsuda's market for a few groceries, picked up a small bottle of Loomis Burgundy, stopped in at the "Happy Hour" for a drink and banter with the denizens of that establishment (regulars) and walked home; he was more devoted to his parents than most, and deeply appreciated their conversation, and deeply mourned their loss -- he loved deeply, laughed (but never for conviviality or shallow repartee) when it meant something. He made utterance when he had something worth saying - I was privileged to be there often on such occasions until the last.
His true self is in his correspondence - I suggest reading that and making conclusions on one's own - He would appreciate the work Scott and Ron and a few others have done -- But again, I never heard him mention any biographers, nor am I aware of his taking time to read critical essays, and so on - Of course he was influenced by other writers, but by the time I knew him well, the "influencing" was over.