NPR

New Film Celebrates Emily Dickinson's Poetry And 'Quiet Passion'

Many people find fascination in Dickinson's mysterious, reclusive life. But British film director Terence Davies says it was her poetry, more than her personal life, that drew him in.
Cynthia Nixon plays Emily Dickinson in Terence Davies' new film <em>A Quiet Passion. </em>"I think she was afraid of life," Davies says. "Like a lot of geniuses, she had — skin missing. And that makes you very, very vulnerable."

Many people are drawn to Emily Dickinson because of her mysterious life — the brilliant poet rarely left her family home in Amherst, Mass., and her work wasn't recognized until after her death.

But British film director Terence Davies says it was her poetry, more than her personal life, that drew him in. Davies discovered Dickinson on television. An actress was reading

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR1 min read
New Music Friday: The best albums out June 14
This week, NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Ann Powers steer the New Music Friday podcast straight into the oncoming Father's Day weekend, following the lead of country superstar Luke Combs, whose new album Fathers & Sons is a heartfelt meditati
NPR1 min read
Bringing A Tariff To A Graphite Fight
Graphite is sort of the one-hit wonder of minerals. And that hit? Pencils. Everyone loves to talk about pencils when it comes to graphite. If graphite were to perform a concert, they'd close out the show with "pencils," and everyone would clap and ch
NPR1 min read
The Sunday Story: Roy Wood Jr. on the Road to Rickwood
What does a comedian know about baseball? And what can America's oldest baseball field tell us about the civil rights movement?Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama is America's oldest ballpark. It's older than Wrigley Field and Fenway park. But its

Related