Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Whites descriptions are sensuous, precise and evocative. . . . luminous readings of the paintings. An enchanting book about the transformative power of art." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Through his obsession with Vermeer, White has crafted a powerful and affecting memoir that reminds us how art can be salvation." Publishers Weekly
Review
"An artistic treasure hunt....Following Vermeer grants White another kind of distance, allowing him to vanish into Vermeers dream, then return refreshed to his own." New York Times Book Review
Review
"Reading
Review
"A wise and clever book." The Sewanee Review
Synopsis
A lyrical and intimate account of how a poet, in the midst of a bad divorce, finds consolation and grace through viewing the paintings of Vermeer, in six world cities. "This book is a treasure and a guide. It is a type of healing for the intellect and the heart." - (Rebecca Lee)
Synopsis
A lyrical and intimate account of how a poet, in the midst of a bad divorce, finds consolation and grace through viewing the paintings of Vermeer, in six world cities. In the midst of a divorce (in which the custody of his young daughter is at stake) and over the course of a year, the poet Michael White, travels to Amsterdam, The Hague, Delft, London, Washington, and New York to view the paintings of Johannes Vermeer, an artist obsessed with romance and the inner life. He is astounded by how consoling it is to look closely at Vermeer s women, at the artist s relationship to his subjects, and at how composition reflects back to the viewer such deep feeling. Includes the author s very personal study of Vermeer. Through these travels and his encounters with Vermeer s radiant vision, White finds grace and personal transformation.
"White brings sensitivity] to his luminous readings of the paintings. An enchanting book about the transformative power of art." - (Kirkus Reviews)
" Figures it took a poet to get it this beautifully, thrillingly right. - (Peter Trachtenberg)
"A unique dance among genres...clear and powerful descriptions touch on the mysteries of seduction, loss, and the artistic impulse." - (Clyde Edgerton)
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Synopsis
"This book is a treasure and a guide. It is a type of healing for the intellect and the heart." - (Rebecca Lee)
About the Author
Michael White is Professor of English at UNC–Wilmington. The author of four collections of verse and a memoir, Travels with Vermeer (Persea, 2014), his poems have appeared widely, including in The New Republic, The Paris Review, The Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, Western Humanities Review, and Best American Poetry. He lives in Wilmington, North Carolina.