[Clark's] portraits of both Auden and Kallman are truer, and, in a seemingly offhand manner, as penetrating as any of those by . . . other memoirist friends. . . . She perfectly catches the nuances and intonations of [their] voices, simply . . . by quoting them believably. . . .Contributes richly to Auden folklore.
In 1951, Thekla Clark, a 24-year-old American from Oklahoma, sailed to Italy. On the island of Ischia in the bay of Naples, a family friend (the young poet Anthony Hecht) introduced her into a small circle of expatriates, at whose center were W.H. Auden and his companion, the librettist Chester Kallman. Clark became close friends with both men, and "The Visit," as she called it, became an annual summer ritual, first on Ischia and, after 1957, at Auden's house in Kirchstetten, Austria. Recounting particular incidents scattered over more than two decades, Clark casts light on the private lives of these two men as distinct individuals and as a couple. She describes Auden as a disciplined writer, passionate conversationalist and devoted friend who believed that "happiness, like grief, should be private" and who rejected Yeats's dictum that one must chose either "perfection of the life or of the work" with the remark that "perfection is possible in neither." While accepting his homosexuality, he nonetheless professed that homosexuality was wrong. Kallman comes across as a more unbuttoned character, an emotional man of much charm and considerable talent who was undone by his private demons. Clark writes frankly about Auden and Kallman's "extracurricular" affairs, their reliance on alcohol and Kallman's disintegration, but is never titillating or judgmental. Bringing considerable insight to bear on critical debate over the trajectory of Auden's career while defending Kallman's own creative work, this memoir is rich in personal vignettes. By turns humorous, ironic and poignant, Wystan and Chester is a valuable supplement to Humphrey Carpenter's 1982 Auden biography. Photos. (Sept.)
Auden is almost always included in the pantheon of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century, so almost anything written about him by those close to him is of interest to literary biographers and critics. The focus here is on the relationship between Auden and his friend, lover, and collaborator, Chester Kallman. The earlier Auden in Love by Kallman's stepmother is similar in the story it tells and in its disinterest in the poetry per se. What these books share is a thoughtful commentary on an intriguing romance of over 30 years. Clark's longtime friendship with both of them, which also lasted over 30 years, provides what one would expectcharming anecdotes, good characterizations, and affectionate memories. More than in most memoirs of literary figures, it gives a sense of the personalities and the affection between them. The immediacy of Clark's writing draws the reader into the circle even as it shows what a special group it was. Recommended for all collections concerned with 20th-century literature.David S. Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia
A graceful and remarkable book, one that nobody who cares about Audun can afford to ignore...Clark is deft, convincing, and immensely touching. Miranda Seymour,
—New York Times Book Review
A fond but not uncritical backward glance at one of this century's most important poets and his companion.
Clark, who set sail as a young Oklahoman in 1951 for a blithely reckless expatriate existence in Europe, first came to know the English Auden and his once and future sweetheart, American-born Kallman, first on the Italian island of Ischia. They remained fast friends. The satisfaction of Clark's brief but eventful reminiscence is twofold: She captures the unsteady, even giddy rhythms typical of many close friendships; and she offers an unabashedly opinionated double portrait of her two inimitable sidekicks. Some indulgently self-conscious nattering does creep into the writing ("Had they been halcyon days?" Clark asks at one point). And she may enjoy describing herself too much: "I was still wearing cotton gloves and was overly ware of the attention I was causing." Yet she is generally a vivid writer and a quick study. She follows the sometimes tormented progress of Auden and Kallman's long intimacy. Loyal to both in her ferreting, she seems able to present each man in enough detail to sidestep or thwart the legends and stereotypes that have sprung from them or been imposed on them. Both emerge as magnetic figures, crisscrossed by idiosyncrasy as if by wrinkles. Maybe it is the impromptu charm of the author that most buoys her story, unmarked by literary criticism, and alive with quoted conversation. "Wystan was fascinated by female anatomy and the whole process of birth," she reports. `' `You are so fortunate to have all your reproductive organs inside you' he said, `not these ridiculous things I find attached to me as an afterthought.' He and I had long and detailed gynecological discussions, but we forbore from having them at table after one night Chester screamed, `Mercy!' "
A sweet, smart, witty character sketch.
