How do life experiences feed into the books that an author writes?
In An Autobiographical Letter, Norman Weeks recounts the experiential origins of his writings. Looking back over his first fifty years, he presents a comprehensive treatment of his life, especially those aspects that proved source material for what he would eventually write: His upbringing, education, maturation, personal interactions with friends and lovers, adventures and misadventures, travels and travails.
A rich life, a rich lode for literary mining.
The principal theme of An Autobiographical Letter, a literary biography, is the pursuit of personal vocation. We follow the thought processes of an author-at-work, as he reports on his various literary projects,—their roots, the subjects and their treatment, the difficulties of composition, the relation of form to content, revisions and new versions in the pursuit of perfection.
In all, a self-revelation and an exegesis of the author’s works.
Assessment:
Idea: Author Norman Weeks's memoir is a deeply introspective narrative presented in an epistolary format. Weeks reflects on his early formative experiences in an orphanage; travels as an adolescent; his psychological development; and how literature has shaped his identity as an individual and as an author.
Prose: Weeks writes in a formal, yet warm tone that vividly recounts memories and significant moments from his past. The text somewhat assumes a reader's previous knowledge of the author and his work. Abundant literary references are laced throughout the text, while playful passages (notably, the author's imagined conversation with God), provide additional texture.
Originality: The choice to draft the work as a letter is an intriguing one. The author provides a unique perspective on 20th-century events as seen through the gaze of a writer, intellectual, and a flawed individual seeking to define himself and his legacy.
Character/Execution: While Weeks writes with honest candor and self-reflection, readers may not gain a truly intimate sense of his character. Weeks's memoir will be best enjoyed by readers familiar with his writings who seek greater insight into his creative development.
Date Submitted: October 24, 2020
Review rating: 5-stars!
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
An Autobiographical Letter; With a "Self-Portrait of the Author" and a Post-Autobiographical Postscript by Norman Weeks encapsulates the richness of his life and living; his upbringing, education, maturation, personal interaction with friends and lovers, adventures, challenges, setbacks, travails, and travels, and gives readers glimpses of him as a person and his life. The Self-Portrait theme, human consciousness, and his belief in Transcendental idealism explore his values, personal philosophy, and moral dimensions, and border on self-revelation. It also throws light on the contents of his writings which he terms as subjective, methodical, matter-of-fact, unornamented, and limited to reality and experience.
The approach to the book shows the unique thought process of Norman Weeks. All his writings are innovative and different as they give a peek into the author's life during the various phases of his life and his various literary projects. What makes An Autobiographical Letter appealing is the way the author has decided to pull readers into his life. He speaks about being a rustic child of nature and an entertaining and self-proclaimed lover of animals. All three sections of the book have different things to offer readers in terms of content and they also throw light on what has actually shaped him to be the person he is and his wisdom. The book is a good way to understand the thought processes of the author and reveals his struggles with finding publishers for his books, especially Roman Ruminations. The author weaves his life experiences in with his literary stories, and the detailed narration and description make An Autobiographical Letter an engaging read.
