| Title | : | Strange Paradise: Portrait of a Marriage |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 188598362X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781885983626 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 235 |
| Publication | : | Published August 21, 2018 |
"Grace Schulman makes me want to live to be four hundred years old, because she makes me feel there is so much out there, and it's unbearable to miss any of it."-Wallace Shawn
The romance of Grace Schulman and her husband, Jerome, a distinguished scientist, burgeons in New York’s Greenwich Village amid the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Their bond stays brilliantly alive through various trials, including a decade of living apart. "In my experience, the phrase 'happy marriage' is as oxymoronic as 'friendly fire' or 'famous poet.' My marriage has been a feast of contradiction. . . "Schulman's passion for poetry leads to adventurous times as Poetry Editor of the Nation and Director of the Poetry Center of the 92nd Street Y. The lives of Grace and Jerome are illuminated by friendships with, among others, Marianne Moore, W. S. Merwin, and Richard Yates. In caring for her ailing husband Grace finds her highest calling, and her deepest grief in his loss. Her survival through sorrow will bring solace to all who read about it.
Strange Paradise: Portrait of a Marriage Reviews
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I picked up this book on a contemplative rainy walk alone through Greenwhich Village. I was drawn to the premise of this book by a poet I'd never heard of as it seemed to tackle mortality and the conflictions of marriage--two topics that I've meditated more and more on in the last year. What Grace Schulman accomplishes here is not so much a comprehension of the two themes, but the opposite: a remarkable gaze at their very uncomprehensive nature. Death and love it seems are meant to be studied, meditated on, and observed, but never fully understood. Schulman offers her experience of the two as they entertwine during the last days of her husband's life. The result for me was a deeper feeling (never understanding) for the gravity of what ties all our souls together. This book gets a strong recommendation from me as an especially rewarding read during those transition periods of life.
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Heart wrenching and thought provoking
This book illustrates the complexity and richness of married life, the opportunities for growth and renewal afforded in partnership, the healing powers of art and literature. The dharma of caring for a critically ill spouse is both soul enriching and devastating but the author never wavers in commitment or self pity. A remarkable book brimming with love, joy, intelligence and wit , a true celebration of love, life and death. -
A heartbreaking, unsentimental memoir of a marriage and of coming into one’s own. And a poet’s love letter to New York.
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Thoughtful. Sad. Beautiful. Universal. Specific.
