The Lady in White by Christian Bobin

Book Summary

Christian Bobin has written the book "The Lady in white" (la Dame blanche) based on the life of Emily Dickinson, the late and highly acclaimed American poet. Dickinson, who has always been an inspiration to many people, critics, and artists, did not exempt Bobin from this rule, and the well-known French author wrote and published a book about her in 2007 under her influence.

The name of the book, as it appears from the reviews, refers to the famous image of Dickinson wearing a white dress, alluding to the attire in her former home, which has now been turned into a museum. Bobin has portrayed moments of the influential figure's life, narrated not only brief descriptions of her relationships but also effectively conveyed the sense of loneliness that she experienced throughout her life.

The book presents a compelling and captivating perspective from two angles: the unparalleled character of Dickinson and Bobin's skillful penmanship, which skillfully penetrates the reader's heart with detailed descriptions and, like her other works, eloquently and comprehensively presents necessary elements such as some poems taking center stage in the book, the author's imagination, and statements from Dickinson's family members on paper for numerous readers and enthusiasts to enjoy.

About the Author

Christine Bobin, a French writer and poet, was born on April 24, 1951 in France. Having completed her studies in philosophy, he has engaged in various activities from working in libraries to journalism until today and has been professionally writing since 1977. Bobin has left behind more than 60 works and has always tried to incorporate themes of love and simple life experiences in them. Some of his works include "Playing Crazy," "The woman next" ,"Everyone is busy", "Prisoner in the cradle," "The wonder and the dark," "Praise of nothing," "Resurrecting" and "The expulsion of the World."

Who Should Read the Book?

Enthusiasts of biographies of famous figures like Emily Dickinson as well as followers of Christine Bobin's works are considered the primary audience for "The Lady in white" (la Dame blanche).

Book Quotes

On July 4th, 1879, the National Day celebration, a large store in the center of town near the Dickinsons' house catches fire at night. The sound of church bells wakes Emily up as she rushes barefoot to the window and sees a great sun swallowing the sky and a bewildered moon with faded colors.

She is like unfortunate spirits that nothing disturbs. Their indifference remains intact. The girls do not wake her up. Maggie, the home nurse, sits by her mother's head. She also calms Emily: it's nothing, just a warehouse burning, it doesn't matter. Emily pretends to believe her sister and nurse's lies.

The birds, driven out of their nests by tragedy, sing with all their might, intoxicated by light. Vinnie goes to her room and reassures her sister: don't be afraid, Emily, it's July 4th! She takes her hand and leads her to their mother's room. The noise has not awakened their mother.

Throughout her life, Emily does not wear a crown of genius. All her writings sleep deep in the drawer of the table above her bed, along with the crown of thorns. When she writes, Vinnie feeds the cats who follow her everywhere in the house. She sweeps the stairs and goes shopping. She plays the role of Martha in the Gospel, and the dry preacher also has her.

Just before six in the morning on May 15th, 1886, while the birds' songs echoed in the garden and the sky displayed a colorful face and jasmine sanctified the air with its scent, a sound that had been destroying every thought in the Dickinsons' house for two days fell silent, the sound of difficult, stifled breathing, awake like the sound of a saw on unyielding wood this sound ceased: Emily suddenly turned violently towards the invisible sun, a sun that had been gradually burning her soul for two years.