On August 3, 1845, young Emily Dickinson declared, "All things are ready" and with this resolute statement, her life as a poet began.
Together, These ten days provide new insights into her wildly original poetry and render an "enjoyable and absorbing" (Scott Bradfield, Washington Post ) portrait of American literature\'s most enigmatic figure..
Utilizing thousands of archival letters and poems as well as never-before-seen photos, These Fevered Days constructs a remarkable map of Emily Dickinson\'s inner life.
At the peak of her literary productivity, she is seized with despair in confronting possible blindness.
Contrary to her reputation as a recluse, Dickinson makes the startling decision to ask a famous editor for advice, writes anguished letters to an unidentified "Master," and keeps up a lifelong friendship with writer Helen Hunt Jackson.
We see the poet through her exhilarating frenzy of composition, through which we come to understand her fiercely self-critical eye and her relationship with sister-in-law and first reader, Susan Dickinson.
Ackmann follows Dickinson through her religious crisis while a student at Mount Holyoke, which prefigured her lifelong ambivalence toward organized religion and her deep, private spirituality.
In These Fevered Days , Martha Ackmann unravels the mysteries of Dickinson\'s life through ten decisive episodes that distill her evolution as a poet.
She loved passionately, was hesitant about publication, embraced seclusion, and created 1,789 poems that she tucked into a dresser drawer.
Despite spending her days almost entirely "at home" (the occupation listed on her death certificate), Dickinson\'s interior world was extraordinary.
On August 3, 1845, young Emily Dickinson declared, "All things are ready" and with this resolute statement, her life as a poet began
