Anne Sexton: The Last Summer

By Arthur Furst

Book Overview

Striking photos of the alluring, defiant, and mesmerizing poet Anne Sexton-many published for the first time in this exclusive collection-taken during the last summer of her life, before her suicide on October 4, 1974According to those who knew her best, Anne Sexton was always preparing for her death, almost like an Egyptian queen constructing her pyramid. She wanted to create the most poignant version of her life story, which would best serve as her monument after she was gone. She left behind a study filled with her papers, writings, and photographs. On a photo assignment from Houghton Mifflin, Arthur Furst first met Anne Sexton in April 1974, just two months after she was revived (against her wishes) from a suicide attempt. Welcoming him into her life as a friend, Sexton entrusted Arthur Furst to capture her image over the last months of her life. Undoubtedly, she intended his photographs to become part of her legacy.Anne Sexton: The Last Summer beautifully juxtaposes Furst's exclusive photos with letters and unpublished drafts of Sexton's poems written during the last months of her life, as well as previously unpublished letters to her daughters, giving unprecedented insight into the life of this legendary poet.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312265530
• ISBN13: 9780312265533
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.3" x 0.8" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Share an intimate look

Furst's intimate photographs are the centerpiece of this book. It is a chance to gaze into the face of one of this incredible poet. The portraits enable you to feel Anne's pain and the joy. These images are as revealing as any of her poems. This book is a must for all sincere Sexton readers.

A stunning tribute

This photographic biography lures us into the brilliant mind of poet Anne Sexton. Furst's beautiful pictures portray her as intelligent, thoughtful and sensuous, haughty and pensive, and we are drawn into the rich complex verses written in her own hand. We are allowed to peek at her personal correspondence, and look inside the poet to the woman and her spirit. Surely, this book is a "must have" for those who are looking for the real Anne Sexton.