Grace Schulman's fourth collection of poetry, THE PAINTINGS OF OUR LIVES, celebrates earthly things while discovering inner lives. Here are poems of love and marriage -- including a psalm for the poet's anniversary and a portrayal of her parents dancing during the Depression -- and poems identifying with the hungers, sorrows, and joys of Chaim Soutine, Margaret Fuller, Paul Celan, and Henry James. In the final sonnet sequence, Schulman confronts her mother's death, calling on the art of many cultures to illuminate the universality of grief.
This unforgettable volume weaves together:
- Poems About Art and Artists: Lyrical explorations of the inner lives of figures like Chaim Soutine, Margaret Fuller, and Henry James, finding resonance in their struggles and joys.
- Poems About Family: Intimate portrayals of love and marriage, from a psalm for an anniversary to a vivid memory of the poet’s parents dancing during the Depression.
- The Universality of Grief: A stunning final sonnet sequence that confronts the death of the poet’s mother, turning to art from many cultures to find a shared language for sorrow.
- Jewish Poetry: Poems rich with cultural and spiritual depth, including a moving prayer written on Yom Kippur and psalms that resonate with modern life.