The Hidden Life of Emily Dickinson: A Biography

286 pp. In this remarkable book, startling new evidence about Emily Dickinson's life is presented, all from primary sources and thoroughly documented, which at last fits the whole tantalizing puzzle together. Within a lucid, marvelously sustained narrative, John Evangelist Walsh offers revelations concerning Emily's art and personality which clarify much of the mystery and which will have a profound effect on current critical attitudes. He shows convincingly that there was a married lover, until now unsuspected, whose identity was no secret in the Dickinson family. He follows Emily into her seclusion to uncover the real reasons for her withdrawal and refusal to publish.