As Consciousness Is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks, 1964-1980

Diary entries and notes on the later life and work of philosopher and critic Susan Sontag.

This volume is the second installment in a series presenting the personal notes of renowned literary and art critic Susan Sontag. The diaries, dating 1964–1980, reflect her increasing tendency during her mature stage towards introversion and heavy self-reflection. Not originally intended for the public, these writings are evidently Sontag’s way of solving a number of internal tensions and conflicts. 

We follow her desire to understand the essence of personal issues and insecurities emerging from her relationships with those close to her – her mother and lovers. Alongside reflecting on Sontag’s personal life, the diary contains critical notes on literature and art. Her extensive lists of researched essays, books, films, and music indicate all the more clearly Sontag’s inquisitiveness and constant yearning for new horizons.

“A story worth writing should be like a shout, a gunshot, a cry,” she writes. “A story should break the reader’s heart.” Sontag’s diaries provide such a story, invoking a profound feeling of trust, sympathy, and empathy with their author that leaves the reader with a special emotional and intellectual imprint long after the book has been closed.