Reborn: Journals & Notebooks
Back of the Book
"I intend to do everything...to have one way of evaluating experience—does it cause me pleasure or pain, and I shall be very cautious about rejecting the painful—I shall anticipate pleasure everywhere and find it too, for it is everywhere! I shall involve myself wholly...everything matters!"
So wrote Susan Sontag in May 1949 at the age of sixteen. This, the first of three volumes of her journals and notebooks, presents a constantly and utterly surprising record of a great mind in incubation. It begins with journal entries and early attempts at fiction from her years as a university and graduate student, and ends in 1964, when she was becoming a participant in and observer of the artistic and intellectual life of New York City.
Reborn is a kaleidoscopic self-portrait of one of America's greatest writers and intellectuals, teeming with Sontag's voracious curiosity and appetite for life. We watch the young Sontag's complex self-awareness, share in her encounters with the writers who informed her thinking, and engage with the profound challenge of writing itself—all filtered through the inimitable detail of everyday circumstance.
Why You Should Read It
In Reborn, readers observe the surfacing of genius, as they begin with Sontag’s early diary entries from her time at university. Beyond observation for observation’s sake, respecting Sontag’s erudition the way it ought to be respected, Reborn presents a perfect case for the humanities as we witness how young Sontag saturates herself in literature and criticism, and the early sharpening of the incisive point of view that she is so well known for. For the followers of any public intellectual, a journal could turn into a guide for how to be. Mining Sontag’s work for advice on how to live is simple—she is a chronicler of her own becoming, prone to keenly reflecting on each action, prone to constructing (unearthing and deconstructing) a lineage of cause and effect, nothing exists in a vacuum for Sontag and her intimate appraisal of the world and its collaborative efforts to create her and shape her vision. Sontag speaks as if to an audience of one, herself, of course—but this separation aligns the reader with the author and imbues an experience of excavating truth and intellectual being that reifies the reader themselves. Sontag does, in fact, make you better.
Memorable Passage
Emotionally, I wanted to stay. Intellectually, I wanted to leave. As always, I seemed to enjoy punishing myself.
About the Author
Susan Sontag (1933–2004) was a towering figure in American intellectual and literary circles, known for her incisive essays, cultural criticism, and explorations of complex ideas. Born in New York City, Sontag's vast body of work includes groundbreaking works like On Photography and Against Interpretation. A polymath with interests ranging from philosophy to politics, she fearlessly engaged with the pressing social and cultural issues of her time. Sontag's writing, characterized by its intellectual rigor and eloquence, left an indelible mark on critical theory and contemporary thought. Her exploration of topics such as the nature of art, the impact of images on society, and the responsibilities of intellectuals revealed a profound commitment to understanding and challenging the world. Susan Sontag is worth knowing for her intellectual legacy, her impact on the intersection of literature and cultural critique, and her relentless pursuit of deeper truths in the complexities of modern life.
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