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New biography delves into private life of American literary icon Susan Sontag

Benjamin Moser covers the life of writer and activist Susan Sontag in his biography, “Sontag: Her Life and Work.” Moser said the book focuses mainly on Sontag’s life and views on 20th-century issues. (Courtesy of Benjamin Moser)

By Alexsandra Coltun Schneider

Oct. 1, 2019 9:22 p.m.

Susan Sontag took on writing and activism in the 20th century and continues her legacy through the archives at UCLA.

An archive of Sontag’s work and belongings is housed in the Charles E. Young Research Library’s Department of Special Collections. Sontag’s personal and career experiences are covered in a newly released biography, called “Sontag: Her Life and Work,” by Benjamin Moser. Her work ranged from essays to novels, and she also took part in political activism, Moser said. The book, released Sept. 17, discusses Sontag’s life and insights about her knowledge on 20th-century culture, politics and sexuality, Moser said.

“I think learning about Sontag is more important than it ever has been,” Moser said. “She’s the one modern American author that … reading about her gives you access to modern culture almost in its entirety.”

Sontag’s collection at UCLA comes with a personal connection to the surrounding area, Moser said, for both Sontag and her mother briefly lived in Southern California. It was important for Sontag to have her archive in the local area, and chose for it to be open at UCLA for research purposes, said UCLA curator and manuscripts librarian Genie Guerard.

“It’s one of the great treasures that this library is privileged to have,” Guerard said. “We’re also privileged to be able to make it available.”

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The collection holds her papers, Moser said, with around 100 volumes of her private writings housed in the archive. Guerard said the archive also has her diaries, photographs and manuscripts of her writings – which date as far back as her childhood. The journals bring insight into the mind and spirit of who she was, Moser said, and allows the public to know more about the private side of her life. Content from her archive brings a greater understanding of who she communicated with, such as her friends and artist associates, Guerard said.

“You can know Susan Sontag’s publications, but what you’re getting from material in the archive is the context that surrounds those writings,” Guerard said.

Sontag was a recognizable public figure, Moser said, and impressed people with her extensive knowledge on subjects like literature and plays. Moser said he was able to draw conclusions from his research of the archive and from interviews with those who were affiliated with Sontag, such as photographer Annie Leibovitz. Behind her intimidating appearance, he said, Sontag also had worries about general life issues – such as health or relationship problems.

“People were very intimidated by her,” Moser said. “Behind the … very intimidating person was … a person who had the same anxieties, the same fears and same problems that a lot of other people did.”

Guerard said Sontag was curious-natured and drew conclusions from inquiries on her general surroundings, while also helping others perceive and understand the world. For example, Guerard said Sontag’s writings on photography revealed how the media can affect people and can manipulate the perception of a topic, such as war.

“She was talking not just about photography, but how we perceive things like war and the decisions made by people involved in those wars,” Guerard said. “That’s where her deep study of philosophy really comes in. … She really became a moral standard for us.”

Sontag inspired scholarly trends through her work projects that created a space for more voices to be heard in an academic setting, said Devin Fitzgerald, UCLA curator of rare books and history of printing. Being able to look through a creator’s archive lets the public understand and appreciate their world as well as the context that surrounds it, he said. Without informative dialogues about the works of artists, he said, their creations may have never become as impactful as they did.

“In my own view, what makes artists important is not the way they stand above other people, but because of those people,” Fitzgerald said. “There is no one who succeeds or creates in isolation or removed from their social, historical or political context.”

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Sontag was a “jack-of-all-trades” and an important historical female figure due to her involvement in a range of social trends, such as being an anti-Vietnam War protester, Fitzgerald said. Moser wrote the biography of Sontag because of his personal interest in 20th-century female intellectuals, he said, and wanted to bring the topic forward since he thought there wasn’t great discussion on the subject matter.

“I think the journals give you unparalleled access into who the woman was behind (the) icon,” Moser said.

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Alexsandra Coltun Schneider
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