The Light of the World
A Memoir
Published on 30. April 2015
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-4555-9987-5 (ISBN)
Description
A deeply resonant memoir for anyone who has loved and lost, from acclaimed poet and Pulitzer Prize finalist Elizabeth Alexander.
In THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, Elizabeth Alexander--poet, mother, and wife--finds herself at an existential crossroads after the death of her husband, who was just 49. Reflecting with gratitude on the exquisite beauty of her married life that was, grappling with the subsequent void, and feeling a re-energized devotion to her two teenage sons, Alexander channels her poetic sensibilities into a rich, lucid prose that describes a very personal and yet universal quest for meaning, understanding, and acceptance, taking stock of herself at the midcentury mark. This memoir is about being strong when you want to collapse, being grateful when someone has been stolen from you--but mostly, it's about discovering the truth in life's journey: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
In THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, Elizabeth Alexander--poet, mother, and wife--finds herself at an existential crossroads after the death of her husband, who was just 49. Reflecting with gratitude on the exquisite beauty of her married life that was, grappling with the subsequent void, and feeling a re-energized devotion to her two teenage sons, Alexander channels her poetic sensibilities into a rich, lucid prose that describes a very personal and yet universal quest for meaning, understanding, and acceptance, taking stock of herself at the midcentury mark. This memoir is about being strong when you want to collapse, being grateful when someone has been stolen from you--but mostly, it's about discovering the truth in life's journey: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Little, Brown & Company
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 220 mm
Width: 147 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
356 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4555-9987-5 (9781455599875)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2015
Grand Central Publishing
€9.49
Available for download
Person
Elizabeth Alexander composed and recited "Praise Song for the Day" for President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration. She is the author of six books of poetry--including American Sublime, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize--and is the first winner of the Jackson Prize for Poetry and a National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim fellow. She is the Thomas E. Donnelley Professor of African American Studies at Yale University.