I had this great conversation today about female writers and why it seems on their book jackets they have this need to print a picture of themselves about twenty years old, even if the book was written when they were sixty.
They always remind me of these exotic tropical birds that we may see only once or twice in a lifetime.
Why is it that we need women to beautiful as well as brilliant? And it seems to be the opposite for men if a male author is not attractive it actually works in his favor which may explain (if the rumors are true) why Bukowski got laid so often.
I have had the pleasure to meet some very famous women poets in person (I’d be a fool to put any names here:) and I have to tell you it takes few seconds for the brain to travel from the cover jacket to real life, usually accompanied by ones mouth hanging open.
Am I immune? Hell no, I think my bio photo is over seven years old and I actually had one of Olivia’s teacher say, “wow I’ve never seen you look like that.” A side note here is that I usually don’t brush my teeth or comb my hair when I drop my kids off for school so he is dealing with total opposite side of the coin.
But is it our choice, does it help us sell more books? One of things I love about Annie Dillard is that she looks like she just strolled into the back yard for the photo. But poets are a different breed. Look how much publicity young poets get for their first book verses an old poet, especially if that poet is a beautiful young woman.
Look at the women who have won Yale, Walt Whitman and then look at the book (if they were lucky) they wrote ten years later. I’d bet you it is the same photo and it bothers me. It bothers me because I am going to grow fat and old I will still be the same person I am now and these poems will still be inside me….hmmmmm I wonder if my cover photo will change.
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3 comments:
Isn't it strange how bio photos live in this nether world of suspended animation? Ah, vanity! Linda France is a UK poet who changes her bio photo with every book, which is very laudable, methinks.
I have maybe a different thought on this. I think the static photos may be a way of preserving a little bit of privacy. Most of the poets I know, women or not, are intensely private people. A book of poetry flings your doors open, as well as your medicine cabinet, your underwear drawer, it throws back the covers on your bed and exposes the dark places under your bed. I was asked if I wanted my photo on Tarantella. I thought about it, considered all those arty 'thoughful poet' poses, i.e those of poet in a great hat, hand curled pensively under chin, lots of cleavage (which I have done much to my regret) then decided against all of them. I wouldn't care as much if my editors put a 7 year old photo on the jacket but I'm just putting blurbs on the jacket. The book is portrait enough.
Rebecca
My bio pic is four years old. My friend, Marcin, saw the photo I planned to use something--what it was I've forgetten, but anyway he insisted on taking a better photo. So one day we went out and he shot a few rolls of film and out of all of them maybe three came out nice. *lol* I truly hate getting my picture taken so I'll probably use any one of those three pics for my bio until I croak. (big cheesy grin) Or opt out of a photo entirely. Rebecca makes excellent points about privacy too. If I was lucky enough to have Didi do my portrait I would use that for my bio!
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