The unchanged terrain of muriel rukeysers the book of. A political activist as well as a poet, rukeyser devoted much of her time and writing to issues of feminism and social justice. Muriel rukeyser was an american poet and political activist, best known for her poems about equality, feminism, social justice, and judaism. Written in response to the hawks nest tunnel disaster of 1931. The poems collected here investigate the roots of a tragedy.
In the summer of 1938, while she was in residence at yaddo, an artists retreat in saratoga, new york, rukeyser wrote about fearing to horace gregory and marya zaturenska. Seasons and maps coming where this road comesinto a. In this terrible disaster, an undetermined number of men. Written in response to the hawks nest tunnel disaster of 1931 in gauley bridge, west virginia, the book of the dead is an important part of west virginias cultural heritage and a p. Kenneth rexroth said that she was the greatest poet of her exact generation. Their trip would form the foundation of rukeysers poem cycle the book of the dead, included in her groundbreaking 1938 collection of documentary poems of witness, u. The poem, which is probably the most ambitious and least understood work of depressionera american verse. Cary nelson and janet kaufman classroom issues and strategies. Her characters physical experiences inspire their search for an artistic form and a holistic vision that reconciles the corporeal and conceptual aspects of their life. In 1938, muriel rukeyser wrote the book of the dead, a long poem describing the impact of a silica mine on a small west virginia town, gauley bridge. The book of the dead by muriel rukeyser was published as part of her 1938 volume u. When muriel rukeyser travelled to gauley bridge in 1936 to report on the industrial disaster that had led to the deaths of over 700 miners, her findings led her to write what is arguably her masterpiece the 1938 poem series the book of the dead. Tim dayton the book of the dead by muriel rukeyser was published as part of her 1938 volume u. The senses of muriel rukeysers the book of the dead.
My thesis deals with rukeysers reconciliation of disparate aspects of existence through the image of the human body and the practical. Her debut poetic work, theory of flight, was published as. Rukeysers poem clearly emerges from 1930s radicalism, as well as from rukeysers deeply felt calling to poetry. The poem the book of the dead by muriel rukeyser was published in 1938 and commemorates the gauley tunnel tragedy, in which between 700800 men died of acute silicosis. One of her most powerful pieces was a group of poems titled the book of the dead. The earliest poem here, taken from rukeysers second book, dates from 1938. Muriel rukeyser bio, facts, family famous birthdays.
Book overview written in response to the hawks nest tunnel disaster of 1931 in gauley bridge, west virginia, the book of the dead is an important part of west virginias cultural heritage and a powerful account of one of the worst industrial catastrophes in american history. Of all rukeysers writings, this hybrid work of documentary techniques and metaphors, of. Muriel rukeyser was a poet, playwright, biographer, childrens book author, and political activist. Indeed, for rukeyser, these activities and forms of expression were linked. The poem, which is probably the most ambitious and least understood work of depressionera american verse, commemorates the worst industrial accident in. During that time she contributed poems to poetry magazine and other periodicals.
Lyric and document in muriel rukeysers the book of the dead. The book is simply a collection of ancient egyptian funerary texts made up of spells and magical formulas located within tombs. She was vice president of the house of photography, new york 194660, taught at sarah lawrence college. One of her most powerful pieces was a group of poems titled the book of the dead, documenting the details of the hawks nest incident, an industrial disaster in which hundreds of miners died of silicosis. Throughout her life, muriel rukeyser maintained that poetry proved an essential means of communicating and acting in the world, a way to meet the moment with our lives and invite a total response life of poetry811. Rukeyser was a prolific and important writer during her publishing years, 19351980. Rukeysers poem clearly emerges from 1930s radicalism, as well as. Muriel rukeyser, from waterlily fire 1962 muriel rukeyser 191980 was one of the most engaged and engaging modern american poets. Also, it is the third and final installment to the trilogy concentrating on pendergast and his relationship with lieutenant vincent dagosta in their pursuit to stop pendergasts brother, diogenes. Project muse muriel rukeysers the book of the dead.
American poet and activist whose literary works include the book of the dead and to be a jew in the twentieth century. This is the seventh book in the special agent pendergast series. Muriel rukeyser s p edited by adrienne rich bloodaxe books. But the range and daring of her work, its generosity of vision, its formal innovations, and its level of energy. Muriel rukeyser, born in 19 in new york city, wrote the book of the dead in 1938 about miners in west virginia who sued their employer. The book of the dead muriel rukeyser and catherine venable moore. Muriel rukeyser was educated at the fieldston schools, vassar college, and columbia university. Rukeysers difficulties appear in the heavy blocks of journalistic detail to which she has recently devoted herself p.
Muriel rukeyser 191980 was a prolific american writer and political activist. The first standalone edition of rukeysers landmark early sequence, the book of the dead, changes this. One of her most powerful pieces was a group of poems entitled the book of the dead 1938, documenting the details of the hawks nest incident, an industrial disaster in which kenneth rexroth said that she was the greatest poet of her exact generation. The book of the dead rukeyser, muriel, moore, catherine venable on amazon. Industrial tragedies sometimes find their way into poetry and so it is with the book of the dead by the former political activist muriel rukeyser. The human body occupies a central place in rukeysers poetry. Muriel rukeyser and the gauley tunnel tragedy introductory poems and lyrical monologues the documentary poems the meditations and a coda the critical reception of the book of the dead the book of the dead.
Written in response to the hawks nest tunnel disaster of 1931 in gauley bridge, west virginia, the book of the dead is an important part of west virginias cultural heritage and a powerful account of one of the worst industrial catastrophes in american history. The book of the dead poem by muriel rukeyser poem hunter. Pdf the senses of muriel rukeysers the book of the dead. The poem, which is probably the most ambitious and least understood work of depressionera american verse, commemorates the worst industrial accident in u. Muriel rukeysers the book of the dead by tim dayton.
Muriel rukeysers the book of the dead by tim dayton, 2003. The ancient egyptians were aware of the possibility of the existence of an afterlife and for that sole purpose, they invested a great deal of the time of imagination into creating the mysterious book of the dead. Her poem to be a jew in the twentieth century, on the theme of judaism as. In it rukeyser turns brutal depression era facts into searing poetry and calls the readers attention to a huge ragged labor scar on our nations face. Past all your influences, your home river, constellations of cities, mottoes of childhood, parents and easy cures, war, all evasions wishes. The poems collected here investigate the roots of a tragedy that killed hundreds of workers, most of them african. Rukeysers book of the dead is a voice to the voiceless, a poem that seeks to give power to those devastatingly affected by. Of course, its exciting to have rukeysers seminal hybrid poetic work of social justice in its own affordable softcover volume with french flaps.
The book of the dead west virginia university press. Twothousand miners were drilling a tunnel a little over three miles long so that the river could be diverted, as part of a union carbide hydroelectric power plant project. Tim daytons critical study characterizes the literal and political world of rukeyser at the time she wrote the poem. In 1935 her first collection of poetry, theory of flight, won the yale younger poets prize, and she went on to publish twelve more volumes of poetry. An analytical appreciation emily cogan the graduate center, city university of new york. The women originally planned to publish their photographs and text side by side, but for unknown reasons their collaboration never materialized. In muriel rukeysers the book of the dead, tim dayton continues that study by characterizing the literary and political world of rukeyser at the time she wrote the book of the dead. In this terrible disaster, an undetermined number of menlikely somewhere between. Admirers of muriel rukeyser have been waiting for a reprint of the book of the dead, long out of print, and west virginia university presss new edition does not disappoint. The book of the dead rukeyser, muriel, moore, catherine venable on. Rukeyser attended private schools and in 193032 was a student at vassar college. Muriel rukeyser, american poet whose work focused on social and political problems. The following is the text of the presentation i gave for the book of the dead poem talk at the muriel rukeyser symposium this year. Breathein experience, breatheout poetry, she wrote in her first book, theory of flight 1935, and it was a.
As marilyn hacker has noted, for rukeyser poetry could encompass both science and. Cuny academic works dissertations, theses, and capstone projects. The book of the dead is a novel by douglas preston and lincoln child published on july 1, 2007 by warner books. She received a national institute of arts and letters award, a guggenheim fellowship, the levinson prize for poetry, and the shelley memorial award. Rukeyser clearly respected fearings poetry, but was very aware of its limitations and wanted to be a poet less restricted than she felt fearing to be. A new edition of muriel rukeysers the book of the dead reminds readers of relationships among race, nature and industrial disaster in appalachia.