Of Una Jeffers

Rating:
Summary: A rich descriptive memoir
Review: Una Jeffers, the amazing wife of poet Robinson Jeffers, had the kind of charisma that drew people to her. I recently visited Tor House in Carmel, CA where Una and Robinson lived. A docent told a funny little story of how Robinson wrote in their bedroom on the second floor and Una, sitting at her desk on the first floor, would pound the ceiling with a broom handle to jolt him back to work if she noticed he was not concentrating on his poetry. I know that I was drawn to her simply by the stories the docent told, which prompted me to buy this book.

This memoir is lovingly written by her good friend Edith, the second wife of Una's first husband, Edward Kuster. While married to Edward, Una met and fell in love with Robinson Jeffers. Edward discovered the attachment and asked Una to go to Europe to think through her feelings. In Europe, Una realized she was lost without Robinson, but was torn because she still loved Edward and didn't want to hurt him. Her problem was solved when a friend wrote to Una informing her that Edward had fallen in love with a young woman, Edith, the author of this memoir. Una was relieved that Edward was happy and in love. She returned to the U.S. and Robinson. After a time Una and Robinson and Edith and Edward became truly close friends.

Una was the force behind Robinson and kept him focused on his writing. He became one of the most famous poets of the mid twentieth century. He is mostly forgotten now which is distressing because his poetry is extraordinary. Edith's memoir is short but packed with rich descriptive memories. It's written in sort of a free form with one memory sparking another later memory as Edith describes Una's love of nature and English bulldogs, the heartbreak of losing her firstborn, the trials of motherhood raising twin boys, economically keeping her home and inspiring not only Robinson, but all who entered her life.

Edith downplayed her own fascinating life. Luckily James Karman, who wrote the forward and edited the original memoir, provides some detail about Edith. She studied modern dance at the legendary Denishawn School and was classmates with Martha Graham, one of the most influential figures in modern dance. Edith's dances seem to have inspired several of Robinson's poems. Edith also worked in her father's law firm, an almost unheard of opportunity for young single women in the early twentieth century, even for the daughters of lawyers.

This book also contains several photos of Una, Robinson, Edith, Edward and the Jeffers' twin sons as well as few poems by Robinson, that were unpublished at the time the original memoir was published in 1939. There is also and index of selections from Edith's rough drafts. The book and the index offer an intriguing glimpse into their lives.