As noted earlier, it was the Alexander Gilchrist biography that first promoted the idea that Blake had seen angels on "Peckham Rye" - probably not exactly where the current Rye is found.
The biography itself is very well researched, and a model piece of work, but Alexander Gilchrist did not himself live to see it published. It was completed and seen to print by his wife, Anne - at least partly to memorialise her husband.
Imagine my surprise to find that later Anne Gilchrist developed a passion for Walt Whitman, based on the personality projected in his poems. She wrote "A Woman's Estimate of Walt Whitman", praising him greatly, and eventually travelled to America to be with him.
I suspect Americans know all about this story, but I didn't. Anyway, somehow they became good friends for two years (not intended as a euphemism) while she stayed near him. And then she went back to England and carried on writing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment