The Virgin of Bennington

By Kathleen Norris

Book Overview

Shy and sheltered as a young woman, Kathleen Norris wasn't prepared for the sex, drugs, and bohemianism of Bennington College in the late 1960s -- and when she moved to New York City after graduation, it was a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire. In this chronicle, Norris remembers the education she received, both formal and fortuitous; the influence of her mentor Betty Kray, who shunned the spotlight while serving as a guiding force in the poetry world of the late 20th century; her encounters with such figures as James Merrill, Jim Carroll, Denise Levertov, Stanley Kunitz, Patti Smith, and Erica Jong; and her eventual decision to leave Manhattan for the less-crowded landscape she described so memorably in Dakota. This account of the making of a young writer will resonate with anyone who has stumbled bravely into a bigger world and found the poetry that lurks on rooftops and in railroad apartments -- and with anyone who has enjoyed the blessings of inspiring teachers and great friends.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157322913X
• ISBN13: 9781573229135
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A great biography of Betty Kray

If you're looking for a juicy read, this isn't it. If you're looking for more about the author Kathleen Norris, this will provide you with new information about her, but only about five percent of the material in the book covers her life at Bennington, and maybe 15 percent more covers her life in the '60s. The rest is an excellent biography about Betty Kray and her work at the Academy of American Poets. The book gives great incite into the workings of the Academy and its important contribution to poetry in the United States. Norris gives glimpses of the lives of various poets popular in the '60s.Don't expect a spiritual revelation from this book. Do expect to learn a great deal about Betty Kray.

A Change of Pace for Norris Fans

Some fans of Kathleen Norris will no doubt be disappointed in this book. It is not brimming with one spiritual insight after another, unlike her previous nonfiction work. But those would be her greedier readers who, whether for good or ill, seek spoon-fed wisdom.This book is, instead, a fascinating illustration of the emotional, psychological, sexual, and spiritual development of a young woman who had the courage to accept the mentorship of an older woman, Betty Kray.Those who read this book on the surface will find a fascinating portrait of Betty Kray who, according to the documentation in this book, was the prime mover and shaker of the Academy of American Poets in its earliest years. The Academy was largely responsible for the discovery and promotion of many of our best-known contemporary American poets (Denise Levertov, James Merrill, Stanley Kunitz, and many others).Students of literary history, as well as those who enjoy reading memoirs, will respond well to this engaging, previously undocumented account of the rise of contermporary American poetry.However, more discerning spiritually-minded readers will go one step further in their understanding of this book, for Norris has written a beautiful, deep illustration of moral development and mentorship. Dare I call it spiritual direction? If one knows what to look for, one can see everywhere in the pages of this book the spirit of God--through the unexpected figure of Betty Kray--shaping the life of a young poet.I'm grateful that Norris did not overtly spiritualize this mentorship, for to do so might not be an honest depiction of Betty Kray. Rather, for those who read carefully, Norris shows us that God's hand is everywhere in our lives, and providence abounds---if we only look for it.

This is a good book....

this is an excellent book..is it a _great_book? Who cares? It is an interesting and very well-written book. I know, or knew, nothing about Norris' poetry or early career, or the whole poetry scene. But she tells an enjoyable and compelling story. I've read all of her "spiritual" books, but have never been sure about the poetry. Coming from the home town of Henry Wardsworth Longfellow, I was forced to memorize great reams of his stuff (as was my father before me). This somewhat spoiled me for other poetry. {That's a bit of an overstatement: I own a *Compleat Shakespeare*.} But if Norris writes poetry as well as she does prose, I'll read it and enjoy it. This book of course stands on its own as a great read, as well as a "teaser" for the poetry. It reads like a novel, but tells an interesting and important story.

Revelation of a Saint

I always assumed that Norris, like many folks in the 60's who found themselves disenfranchised with relegion, to have found conversion with the death of a loved one. Even though the death of her grandmother Totten provided an escape from New York, I found her journey to self-discovery and her own voice both enlightening, and revealing. I had previously assumed Norris to be more saintly than how she portrays herself here in this biogrpahy. I appreciate her honesty and found myself unable to put the book down.

Another Good Book from Kathleen Norris

I purchased this book the day it came out and returned to my favorite bookstore a few days later to find a large display of "The Virgin of Bennington" with the description "Sex, Drugs and Poetry". If you are looking for the first two, you would find more in a few minutes of a sitcom. Poetry, however, is the main context in which Norris tells the story of ten years of her life, from entering college to moving to her mother's childhood home in South Dakota. While the world of late sixties-early seventies poetry may not seem the most interesting of subjects, Norris mananges to hold the reader's interest until we encounter the real subject, Elizabeth Kray, the arts administrator who headed the Academy of American Poets.Norris' abilities as a storyteller were evident in her earlier works, especially "Dakota: A Spiritual Geography", and again she takes what might be for some an uninteresting subject and grabs our attention. Readers who are looking for a spiritual read similar to Norris' earlier prose may be disappointed, but I feel that Norris probably sees God's hand in her experiences with Kray.Highly recommended, well-written and, more importantly, well thought out.