"31/12/57
No diário eu não apenas exprimo a mim mesma de modo mais aberto do que poderia fazer com qualquer pessoa; eu me crio."

Nossa, eu devorei esse livro.
Sempre fui de escrever diários, mas nunca fui de ler diários. Gostei quando seu filho, David Rieff, ressaltou que se trata de uma escolha moral publicar algo tão íntimo. Mas fico contente que o tenha feito, pois assim pude ter o acesso ao quanto Susan foi uma pessoa interessante e...humana. Suas anotações de livros para ler, dos filmes que assistiu, suas dores, seus relacionamentos (nada pacíficos), suas reflexões, tudo isso ecoou em mim de um jeito muito profundo. Quando ela dizia que ia ler diário de algum teórico talvez não tenha pensado que, algum dia, na lista de livros de alguém, estaria o seu.

sexy & exhausting

To nie jest pozycja dla każdego. Nierówna, momentami poszarpana, obszerne fragmenty wytargane z kontekstu, którego być może nie potrafiła uchwycić nawet sama Sontag. Dla mnie to uczta, bo ja uwielbiam zerkać do gryzmołów innych ludzi, bez względu na to, czy znajdę tam epopeję ich życia, czy niekończące się listy książek, oper, zakupów.

susan how DARE you read my mind like this

— the diary of a growing woman, exploring both her Judaism and lesbianism while documenting her numerous cultural discoveries, from movies to books to pieces of classical music. composed of both intimate thoughts about repressed feelings and destructive relationships and more general ones about literature, philosophy, art or even love, this book is as rich as Sontag’s mind and lively life in NYC, Paris, and other places where she meets other great figures of the 20th century.

“My desire to write is connected with my homosexuality. I need the identity as a weapon, to match the weapon that society has against me. It doesn’t justify my homosexuality. But it would give me — I feel — a license. I am just becoming aware of how guilty I feel being queer. […] Being queer makes me feel more vulnerable. It increases my wish to hide, to be invisible — which I’ve always felt anyway.”

There is a better review than what I could write in the Chronicle of Higher Education from December: http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=v1xvs1p6k37s7jtw4qpfj7pqykln5z50

I enjoyed the book very much, though it took me nearly 3 months to complete. As always, even in her jottings and short notes, Sontag offers much to chew on. I'm not sure I trust her son's editing choices and would prefer access to an unabridged version. Some entries are tedious - long lists of authors and books to read (she was quite voracious!), but overall a very profound glimpse into Sontag in her earlier years. I am looking forward to future publishings of her later notebooks!

The end of an era :’) What a strange, strange text to spend months reading.

I love reading the raw thoughts of a person that exposes all contradictory facets of themselves. Susan's worldview is very interesting, but what is even more interesting is the evolution of her thinking through the years and the experiences. This inspired me to journal even more frequently and deeply. I enjoyed the simplicity and the depth.

What an important book to read when your life is a mess.