‘And if you are a foot-on-the-ground person, this book will be for you a desert of weariness and exasperation.’ Jack Barbera and William McBrien approach their subject with generous and indiscriminate zeal. Nor is it easy to write a clear-sighted account of a gifted writer who is wily, opinionated and defensively self-descriptive: ‘This is a foot-off-the-ground novel,’ explains the narrator of Novel on Yellow Paper. From the age of three, when her father ran away to sea – prompted, one poem suggests, by a baleful look shot by the poet from her pram – Florence Margaret Smith lived in her Palmers Green house from her mid-twenties, nicknamed Stevie after the jockey Steve Donoghue, she lived there alone with her aunt, producing three novels and a torrent of poems and articles, and working as a secretary at Newnes and Pearson’s publishing company. It is not easy to write a forceful narrative about a woman who never changed her house, her job or her companion. Would a biographer of Hughes call him Ted? First-named throughout this book, by biographers who apparently never met her, Stevie Smith and her work are draped in Palmers Greenery. For Stevie Smith the writer it was comfortable, though not always convenient, to live out of the centre of London: for Stevie the celebrity it was a triumph – an acquaintance is cited here as drawling that her ‘ability’ to live in Palmers Green while moving in London literary circles was ‘the most compelling thing about her’. This creature thrived on being a spinster, which licensed her to be a bit cuckoo, and on speaking her hard words from a spindly frame decked out like a schoolgirl’s – as if it were a feat to think behind a fringe. The writer called Stevie Smith was also a celebrity called Stevie – a spiky sprite who was famous for being unfashionable. It encapsulates the human need to transcend the ordinary and seek experiences that are profound and transformative.This biography gets off to a bad start with its title. Overall, "VIA" by Volumes is a song that delves into the desire for escape, the search for beauty and hidden treasures, and the ability to find oneself through exploration and adventure. This further emphasizes the exploration of the extraordinary and the longing to escape the confines of everyday life. The line "A thousand words could never describe the colored brights" underscores the idea that some experiences are so profound and awe-inspiring that words cannot do justice to them. The song concludes with an emphasis on the ineffability of beauty and the limitations of language. It implies that by venturing into the unknown, one can find a sense of purpose and fulfillment. In the chorus, the repetition of "When I'm gone you know where you can find me: Here" suggests a sense of belonging and finding one's true self in the midst of exploration and adventure. This could symbolize a quest for personal growth and self-discovery. Lines such as "A history unknown, An isle of concentrated mineral" and "Directions to locate the fountain of karats, The sight of gold" hint at the search for something valuable and precious, both literally and metaphorically. The lyrics also touch upon the idea of hidden treasures and untapped potential. This suggests that the desire to venture off the map is driven by a longing to experience the beauty that lies beyond the ordinary. The mention of "aerials that resonate the skies" and "encompassing pines in the greenery commons" evoke images of breathtaking scenery. Throughout the song, there is a recurring theme of natural beauty and awe-inspiring landscapes. The line "Write me off, I'm going south for the year, So take me there, off the map" signifies a yearning to escape from the mundane and explore new territories. The lyrics suggest a desire to go off the beaten path, to travel to a place that is uncharted and unfamiliar. The song "VIA" by Volumes explores the concept of escapism and the search for something beyond ordinary existence.
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