 by Trish BendixNavigation |
Susan Sontag's private diaries include all the details of her sexual discoveryNote to self: Never have children. Second note to self: Never write private things down — ever. These are just some new things I've picked up recently after learning that the late Susan Sontag's son will be publishing her personal diaries — her detailing of sexual discovery included.
Sontag was a prolific essayist whose relationship with photographer Annie Leibovitz was only really solidified publicly after her death. It was well-known and accepted that she was bisexual, but she kept most of her private life private, so something tells me she wouldn't be so excited to know that her journals are being made available. Sontag kept diaries since she was a teenager, so the books will be published in three different volumes, beginning next January. The Independent reported that she discusses her sexuality frequently from an early age, including these excerpts: Age 15: "I am very young, and perhaps the most disturbing aspects of my ambitions will be outgrown ... so now I feel I have lesbian tendencies (how reluctantly I write this)." Age 16: "Perhaps I was drunk, after all, because it was so beautiful when H began making love to me .... It had been 4:00 before we had gotten to bed ... I became fully conscious that I desired her, she knew it, too...." OK, so something tells me these are going to be good, and maybe a little too juicy to pass up. Also, I can't blame her son, David, too much as he noted he wanted to publish them before anyone else could do it their own way: "It was a difficult decision for me to make and my reasons are that I didn't have much choice given the fact that she chose to sell the papers to the University of California. So later, down the line, editions of it would inevitably be published, so I would rather do it myself .... I certainly made every effort in the editing not to cut anything on the basis of my being uncomfortable with it, and not to cut anything my mother might have preferred the world not to know." Susan and her son, David Fair enough. The world will be better off for the work's availability, I'm sure, as Sontag is one of the greatest writers of the last century (and not just greatest "female" or greatest "bisexual" — greatest period). Look for Penguin Group to publish the first edition, Reborn: Early Diaries, 1947-1964 in January 2009. Until then, keep your own diaries under lock and key. Submitted by on November 17, 2008 - 9:00am. |
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Agree
Everything Susan wrote will eventually see the light of day
She was just too imposing a literary figure for that not to happen. And I would think Annie would be okay with this given the extremely personal photographs of her she published in her last book - if not I think she'd be a massive hypocrite! I think if Susan wanted to keep these notes to herself she would have destroyed them, not sold them to a university. I think they're fair game and I'll be reading them with a clear conscience.
Also, didn't the New York Times already publish excerpts from these diaries a few years back?
Strange editing
"I certainly made every effort in the editing not to cut anything on the basis of my being uncomfortable with it, and not to cut anything my mother might have preferred the world not to know."
So what was the point of the editing? If he didn't cut out the bits he knows his mother wouldn't want the world to know, then anybody could have done the same editing job.
Having said that, if she did sell the diaries to the University of California, she put them in the public domain herself so publishing them is fair enough...
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Taking off - the novel, coming soon. Starring Katie, a lesbian in London...
In the meanwhile, you can read reviews of films and books with lesbian/bi characters and/or taking place in London and vote for your favourite book at www.takingoff.org
I'm currently studying Annie
Cool!
I can't wait that this book come out! It is going to be a very interesting read indeed :) Although i'm always a bit torn about published diaries...
Publishing your own diaries when you're alive is one thing, but publishing someone else's diaries (even though it's your mom) when they're dead is another... To me it is like violating someone's privacy. I wouldn't want anyone to publish my diaries when I'm dead (let's imagine i'm famous here), okay I can't do a thing because I'm dead, but still, some stuff are better not to be known I think... for your entourage. So it makes me feel somehow bad about myself because I really think this trilogy will be a great read...
So yep Trish, once again I agree on everything you said!
Thanks for the tip.
I love Sontag. When I was around twelve, I ran across a series of books from the 50s with her essays in them. She was one of the few writers brave enough to touch the difficult subjects of that era, like gender identity and race...some which are still pretty true today.
I'll probably guiltily pick up a copy of her diaries. I'm such a sucker.
My name is Tender. Tender Forever. http://www.fonfreaka.blogspot.com
im excited
i think this is going to be really good book to read for every one! not just bc it's about bisexuality but bc she is an amazing writer.
and good for girls who don't know what to make of their feels if they are thinking of girls. im just excited to read it!!
im excited
i think this is going to be really good book to read for every one! not just bc it's about bisexuality but bc she is an amazing writer.
and good for girls who don't know what to make of their feelings, if they are thinking of girls. im just excited to read it!!
ahh
Jumping the gun perhaps?
Don't you think you're jumping the gun by implying that David did something that his mother may not approve of? Did you ever think that a famous writer keeping diaries all of her life wouldn't have it in the back of her mind that they may one day be published? Of course she did!
Why say, "never have children"? You're further implying he's doing something unsavory and sleazy. She was a famous literary figure and I'd assume that the publishing of her diaries would be something she may have wanted. To be interesting enough that someone would even want to read your diaries is a feat in itself I think.
I'm not sure you should be blaming David at all. He probably knows his mother much better than you do. At least he recognizes the importance in publishing such a book.
It was just my attempt at
But why bag the son?
If she sold them she was, in effect, publishing them herself.
If she didnt want the public to see them she wouldnt have sold them and if she really didnt want anyone to see them she wouldve destroyed them.
I wouldve imagined having her son control publication wouldve been exactly what she wanted.