These Fevered Days

On 3 August 1845, Emily Dickinson declared, All things are readyand with this, her life as a poet began. Despite spending her days almost entirely at home, Dickinsons interior world was extraordinary. She loved passionately, was ambivalent towards publication, embraced seclusion and created 1,789 poems that she tucked into a dresser drawer. Martha Ackmann unravels the mysteries of Dickinsons life through ten decisive episodes that distil her evolution as a poet. She follows Dickinson through her religious crisis while a student, her decision to ask a famous editor for advice, her letters to an unidentified Master, her frenzy of composition and her terror in confronting blindness. These ten days provide new insights into Dickinsons wildly original poetry and render a concise and vivid portrait of this enigmatic figure.