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A review by casskrug
As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh: Diaries 1964-1980 by Susan Sontag
i carried the first volume of susan sontag’s diaries around with me nonstop and read it in 9 days. i was at the coffee shop with that book and a pencil just going to town. i did not have that same experience with this volume, which has sat on my nightstand for almost 4 months, but i‘m also finding it really difficult to critique her personal notebooks that she kept without the intention of publishing. i do have some thoughts on why i enjoyed the first volume more than this one, though.
the first volume resonated with me so much, i think because she was younger and more inclined to narrativize what was going on in her life, making for a more linear reading experience. the situations and feelings she was dealing with were brand new to her, and that spoke to me as someone in her early 20s. i think we all have more of a self-interest at that point in life, compared to when you grow up a bit more and are more established in your sense of who you are. in volume 2 she is very much immersed in her career as a writer and critic, and so the focus shifts to notes about her work. fascinating to see her creative process but difficult for the reader to fully piece together, which i can’t fault her for like i mentioned above. i also haven’t read any of her actual work so i didn’t have the proper context for a lot of things. she’s just way too big-brained and referential for me to comprehend even half of the notes in here.
in this volume, when she does indulge in writing longer passages about herself or her relationships, i am immediately reminded why i loved volume 1 so much - painfully relatable, oftentimes very hard on herself but funny at the same time. i won’t lie, i did tear up at some entries because i felt like my own feelings were being reflected back to me.
i’d recommend the first volume to anyone looking for some good writer’s diary content, but this second one is more for the sontag completionists, i think, which i am not.
the first volume resonated with me so much, i think because she was younger and more inclined to narrativize what was going on in her life, making for a more linear reading experience. the situations and feelings she was dealing with were brand new to her, and that spoke to me as someone in her early 20s. i think we all have more of a self-interest at that point in life, compared to when you grow up a bit more and are more established in your sense of who you are. in volume 2 she is very much immersed in her career as a writer and critic, and so the focus shifts to notes about her work. fascinating to see her creative process but difficult for the reader to fully piece together, which i can’t fault her for like i mentioned above. i also haven’t read any of her actual work so i didn’t have the proper context for a lot of things. she’s just way too big-brained and referential for me to comprehend even half of the notes in here.
in this volume, when she does indulge in writing longer passages about herself or her relationships, i am immediately reminded why i loved volume 1 so much - painfully relatable, oftentimes very hard on herself but funny at the same time. i won’t lie, i did tear up at some entries because i felt like my own feelings were being reflected back to me.
i’d recommend the first volume to anyone looking for some good writer’s diary content, but this second one is more for the sontag completionists, i think, which i am not.