Kate M. Cleary: A Literary Biography with Selected Works by Susanne K. George (review)

Reviews 401 the monotonous. Liquor, not surprisingly, frequently finds its way into the first half of this book. Poetry can quickly sound repetitive when too faithful to reality, a risk that accrues in a collection of selected poems. Robertson’s style varies remarkably little in three decades: he writes short narrative poems with ironic envois, his form similar to Creeley’s. Only in his latest poems does Robertson play with lan­ guage, often unsuccessfully. In a prose poem entitled “Artist’s Statement,” he writes that “I have nothing to say and I am saying it and that is poetry.” Robertson’s poetry is like a highway, “six or seven lanes / of metal boxes in each direction.” Although each individual poem may initially seem mundane, the collection read as a whole drones for days in a reader’s mind, haunting him or her with the image of those cars “rushing toward / the death of their dreams.” This is mundanity in the best sense, a courageous fidelity to the world we live in. P a t r i c k V i n c e n t Un iv e r s it y o f C a l if o r n ia , D a v is (l/ K ate M. Cleary: A Literary Biography with Selected Works. By Susanne K. George. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997. 250 pages, $30.00.) The recovered works of Kate M cPhelim Cleary (1863-1905) offer an excel­ lent contribution to the literature of our American West. Whether describing life in Chicago or on the Nebraska prairies, her poetry and prose show a vitality and sophistication that merit her association with W illa Cather, Hamlin Garland, and other turn-of-the-century writers. Although James Cleary published a collection of Cleary’s writing, The N ebraska o f Kate M cPhelim Cleary, in 1958, Susanne George’s volum e has the advantage of new additions and an excellent biography. A model of primary research, George’s biography traces Cleary’s struggle to produce good writing despite econom ic and domestic disadvantages, reminding us how an author’s cir­ cumstances materially affect the quality and character of her work. G eorge’s inclusion of several letters to and from fellow writer Elia W ilkinson Peattie emphasizes how Cleary valued writing because it articulated her experiences and preserved ties to other women. Indeed G eorge’s painstaking work makes it easy for the reader to feel a con­ nection with this writer. Cleary’s vitality— illustrated in her effusive, playful descriptions; her inclusive, cosm opolitan imagination; and her impatient mixing of different literary traditions— gives her a presence that effectively touches the reader. Particularly good are the short stories “Feet o f Clay,” with its naturalis­ tic descriptions, and “The Rebellion of Mrs. M cLelland,” with its well-crafted, com ic dialogue, and the sketch “A November Day in Nebraska,” with its rich, im agistic lines: “On the white road lies the tangled tracery of bare branches. Comes a cold wind. The skeleton shadows dance fantastically.” 402 Western American Literature C leary’s work is worth studying, not only for what it can tell us about life in the American W est, but for the pleasure o f her fine writing. With a w ellchosen selection of C leary’s shorter works, an insightful biography, and a com prehensive bibliography, G eorge’s collection is an excellent place to start. M i c h a e l B . B e r n d t S o u t h e r n Il l in o is Un iv e r s it y a t C a r b o n d a l e Jane Gilm ore Rushing. By Lou H. Rodenberger. (Boise, Idaho: B oise State University, Western Writers Series #118, 1995. 51 pages, $3.95.) v '/ Tess Gallagher. By Ron McFarland. (B oise, Idaho: B oise State University, Western Writers Series #120, 1995. 56 pages, $3.95.) / \j' Janet Cam pbell Hale. By Frederick Hale. (Boise, Idaho: B oise State University, Western Writers Series #125, 1996. 54 pages, $3.95.) B oise State University continues to add new titles to the Western...