Audre Lorde Becomes Tired And Paranoid: A Burst Of Light

The Good: Lorde's excellent writing and debate style. Excellent examples of structural debate form.
The Bad: Some incredibly weak premises driven by deep-seated paranoia
The Basics: Moments of reasoning are well argued in A Burst Of Light, but the bulk of essays are paranoid, accusatory and divisive.


Audre Lorde, poet and author of the rare perfect novel (check out my review of Zami by clicking here!), also wrote essays and five are collected here. Being a fan of her poetry and novel did not help me read this collection. That was probably one of the biggest disappointments of my reading "career" that even as a fan of Lorde's work, I could not recommend this piece. In truth, it's just a bad work in an otherwise exemplary career.

The plus side is the title essay. A Burst Of Light is the non-poetic narration of Audre Lorde's struggle with cancer. In several of Lorde's poetry collections (see my review on The Complete Poems of Audre Lorde), Lorde deals with her cancers in poetry form. Often they are illusive and confusing. Here we get a straightforward narrative on her battle with her cancers. It is often graphic, occasionally tired and ultimately real. Her writing there is honed and excellent.

Similarly, "Apartheid U.S.A." is well written. The diction is high and the style is tight. However, it ekes into the seeping paranoia that is prevalent in this work. Reading some of these essays becomes almost physically painful from the sheer number of times the reader winces. Why? Lorde attributes all cultural phenomenon and problems within the Negro community to the white, heterosexual society (primarily the media). Large sections of the book come out sounding like a pamphlet one might get on the street by some strange radical.

The problem is, Lorde is a respected voice and so this level of degeneration in meaningful dialog between ethnicities is especially disappointing.

I'm a liberal, I have no problem admitting that because I'm a liberal with a spine. In Lorde's essay on "Sadomasochism" she blames everything on white society, up to and including the direct statement that somehow that sect of the population benefits from lesbian culture engaging in sadomasochistic routines. It is a paranoid argument that we ought to be far beyond by now. These arguments are built on specious reasoning and arguments lacking in foundation.

While some of her observations are accurate (i.e. that media attention to the s/m fringe of the lesbian sub-culture was used to distract the populace from larger Civil Rights issues), the motivations she attributes to them are often far more sinister than they actually are. As well, her declaration of where the blame lies is unfounded or at least unproven in her essay.

In fact, it's troublesome how someone so into the human community, as viewed in her essay "I am your sister," could write and publish "Apartheid U.S.A." and "Sadomasochism." In short, Lorde's essays aren't inviting a greater dialog here, these are divisive elements that have a mindset of Us Vs. Them and set all corners of society apart.

Indeed, she's right that I am her sister, but we all are and she seems remarkably more concerned with uniting factions that she's a part of than uniting society into a peaceful whole.

For other books of essays, please check out my reviews of:
The Souls Of Black Folk – W.E.B. DuBois
Keeping Faith – Jimmy Carter
Dude, Where’s My Country? – Michael Moore

4.5/10

For other book reviews, please be sure to check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2002 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


| | |

The Outsider's Biography: Zami Resonates For All Who Live On The Fringe.

The Good: A Perfect Novel! An amazing character study!
The Bad: None!
The Basics: Buy this book because it's unlike anything you've read and it perfectly characterizes the quest to find that missing element in your life!


The voice that is seldom heard often produces the most compelling literature simply because it is new and different. While that is true of Zami, the sole novel by Audre Lorde (who also wrote poetry and essays, as collected in The Complete Poems Of Audre Lorde reviewed here!), the transitional nature of the literature of the Other is not a trait of this novel. That is to say that audiences periodically pick a demographic group that is "other" and will pump the market full of works by that group and within a year, no one remembers their name. They are being read simply because they come from a demographic group that is the "other," not because of the quality of the literature.

That is not the case with Zami. The novel not only traces the coming of age of a single woman but it reveals to the reader deeper truths about all humanity. In her quest to become a poet, the novel's Audre Lorde drags from one job to another in the socially confused mid-twentieth century. In the process of forming and losing relationships familial and romantic, the reader is taken on a picaresque journey through life, not just of the narrator, but the general life cycle of all people.

Zami then tells the story of Audre Lorde, a fictionalized account of the author's life. Audre grows up in New York City in the 1930s as a minority in a minority as both a black woman and lesbian. Her mother is the ultimate matriarch and becoming a powerful woman under her guidance, Audre ends up leaving home to find her place in the world. This takes the form of Audre rebelling in school, becoming socially active and discovering - as best she could - young love in the late 40s. She moved about the City taking a job at an x-ray factory, writing poetry and surviving the death of her best friend or first true love.

The novel is a magical intertwining of social upheaval in the United States mirroring personal upheaval and growth in Audre's life and the way the two intermingle is expert. Lorde has a clear vision - an irony considering the character Audre is legally blind - an executes perfectly the literary techniques and devices to not make this a novel about outsiders alone, but rather about all humans everywhere.

The strength of the novel is clearly in the narrative voice which is often whimsical, sometimes confused, and as often bitter. This is the ultimate "Triumph of the Outsider" novel and I've yet to meet anyone who has read it that did not like it. It's not a novel that puts down the "mainstream" society while glorifying the outsider, but rather one that explores the nature of being on the fringe and living free and true to yourself.

Zami is one of those novels to pick up at any point in your life, but it's one I tend to return to when I'm lost. Reading Zami is a wonderful way to never be alone again. And Audre Lorde - the author and her fictionalized representation - is good company!

For other works by black authors, please check out my reviews of:
Juneteenth - Ralph Ellison
Liliane: The Resurrection Of The Daughter - Shange
The Souls Of Black Folk - W.E.B. DuBois

10/10

For other book reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2010, 2002 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



| | |

An Homage To An Amazing Poet: The Collected Poems Of Audre Lorde!

The Good: Lyrically superior, articulate, poetically supreme!
The Bad: Minutia - mostly a few poems that get lost
The Basics: A definite buy! Great for any library, especially one lacking poetry! Audre's magical voice enhances all of her views!

The vast majority of people who are not in college in an English/literary degree program haven't read much poetry and outside of a feminist literature class, odds are most haven't experienced Audre Lorde. Nothing could be more unfortunate. Audre Lorde spends a lot of time exploring the different facets of who she is as a woman, cancer survivor, lesbian, and woman of color.

To simply ignore genius because it is originating from someone we don't know or because we might not be the same demographic is foolish. A lot of that idea comes out in The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde, the most complete collection of poems by one of the United States' unsung literary icons. Indeed, Audre wrote before the popularity of such authors as Toni Morrison and poet Maya Angelou.

Audre Lorde displays a profound understanding of the English language that is enviable, especially in such illiterate times. She brings voice, more than to any group that she is a part of but, to the individual. That is, while Audre was a woman, cancer survivor, etc., her poetry emerges as a work of an essential Human. She is the voice of individuality and so much of her poetry explores the isolation as a result.

The only significant drawback (I do not consider having to actually think about what you're reading a drawback) is that some of Audre's longer poems get lost. It's not so much that they're long to the point of losing their point, but rather that in some of her poetic endeavors, she gets off track, starts with a point and never comes back to it or takes the poem in a different direction and it simply doesn't work.

Largely this is an amazing collection of poetry enviable by anyone who enjoys poetry. It's also the ideal volume for those looking for something different or to overcome a long-held fear of poetry.

9/10

For more book reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Juneteenth by Ralph Ellison
and the index page!

© 2001, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



| |