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A review by bluestarfish
Silences by Tillie Olsen
5.0
Tillie Olsen's 'Silences' has opened up a gaping hollow of loss that is rattling around me. Mourn the loss of the voices of so many people over the years! Questions of which voices are still silenced now are as relevant now as then sadly... 'Silences' examines the creative promise/urge/need in authors and the circumstance around why some creative capacity is lost or impaired.
The first part has two essays recreated from talks Tillie Olsen gave from notes and the third one is an afterword for a reprint of Rebecca Harding Davis' 'Life in the Iron Mills; or, The Korl Woman' which introduces the author and her work. They were all illuminating and provocative and true. The second part of the book are snippets and notes expanding on the themes of the essays. A glimpse at what research has gone into creating a talk/essay and gives us the chance to expand the hints and inferences in them. It makes it more disjointed as they are essentially notes - but there is such incredible material packed into them that I really appreciated having the opportunity to see them.
There is a lot of insight in this book that I am grateful to Tillie Olsen for naming and showing so clearly.
The first part has two essays recreated from talks Tillie Olsen gave from notes and the third one is an afterword for a reprint of Rebecca Harding Davis' 'Life in the Iron Mills; or, The Korl Woman' which introduces the author and her work. They were all illuminating and provocative and true. The second part of the book are snippets and notes expanding on the themes of the essays. A glimpse at what research has gone into creating a talk/essay and gives us the chance to expand the hints and inferences in them. It makes it more disjointed as they are essentially notes - but there is such incredible material packed into them that I really appreciated having the opportunity to see them.
There is a lot of insight in this book that I am grateful to Tillie Olsen for naming and showing so clearly.