Edna St. Vincent Millay -  "Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare."

Edna St. Vincent Millay’s biographer, Nancy Mitford wrote that she ‘became the herald of the New Woman’ and like her contemporary, Robert Frost, she was able to use form and rhyme in a way that was modern, fresh and exciting.  Living a bohemian life in Greenwich Village, her dramatic poetry readings, progressive politics and frank portrayals of her sexual relationships with both men and women all contributed to her fame.  Although her use of traditional forms fell out of favour with the advent of Modernism she has been re-discovered by a new generation of readers and now appreciated as one of the most popular and respected poets of the 20^th Century. 

Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare is a meditation on the meaning of beauty, paying tribute to Euclid, the father of geometry and exploring the patterns that govern our perceptions of physical beauty in all its forms.  With its stunning use of language and rhythm it’s also one of her most beautiful poems to read aloud. 

SALON DETAILS:

• Single meeting study facilitated by Caroline Hammond
• Wednesday 29 November, 6.00 – 8.00 pm (UK)
• £30 to include background materials and opening notes
• “Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare.” is available to read on the Poetry Foundation website