Finalist for the National Book Award: May Sarton at her evocative and contemplative best
The title poem of this entrancing collection compares love to salt for its ability both to dissolve and to crystallize “into a presence.” At once philosophical and fiercely corporeal, this work presents emotion as a sensory experience. Written with Sarton’s characteristic concision, these deeply felt poems will delight readers.
May Sarton (1912–1995) was born on May 3 in Wondelgem, Belgium, and grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her first volume of poetry, Encounters in April, was published in 1937 and her first novel, The Single Hound, in 1938. Her novels A Shower of Summer Days, The Birth of a Grandfather, and Faithful Are the Wounds, as well as her poetry collection In Time Like Air, all received nominations for the National Book Award.