The Light of the World: A Memoir

A deeply resonant memoir for anyone who has loved and lost, from acclaimed poet and Pulitzer Prize finalist Elizabeth Alexander.

In The Light of the World, Elizabeth Alexander finds herself at an existential crossroads after the sudden death of her husband. Channeling her poetic sensibilities into a rich, lucid price, Alexander tells a love story that is, itself, a story of loss. As she reflects on the beauty of her married life, the trauma resulting from her husband's death, and the solace found in caring for her two teenage sons, Alexander universalizes a very personal quest for meaning and acceptance in the wake of loss.
The Light of the World is at once an endlessly compelling memoir and a deeply felt meditation on the blessings of love, family, art, and community. It is also a lyrical celebration of a life well-lived and a paean to the priceless gift of human companionship. For those who have loved and lost, or for anyone who cares what matters most, The Light of the World is required reading.

Author: Elizabeth Alexander
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 04/21/2015
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.70w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781455599875


Award: Books for a Better Life - Finalist
Award: National Book Critics Circle Award - Finalist


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 11/15/2014 pg. 63
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2015
Booklist 03/15/2015 pg. 40
Publishers Weekly 03/23/2015
Essence 05/01/2015 pg. 131
New York Times Book Review 04/26/2015 pg. 16
Shelf Awareness 05/05/2015
BookPage 05/01/2015
New York Times Book Review 05/03/2015 pg. 26
Entertainment Weekly 05/15/2015 pg. 61
Library Journal 06/01/2015 pg. 120
People 06/01/2015 pg. 50
Publishers Weekly Best Books 11/02/2015 pg. 40
Shelf Awareness 12/11/2015
Library Journal 11/15/2014

About the Author
Elizabeth Alexander is a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and the Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. She has recently been appointed President of the Andrew H. Mellon Foundation, the nation's largest funder in the arts and humanities. She composed and recited Praise Song for the Day for President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration. She is the author of six books of poetry -- including American Sublime, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize--and is the first winner of the Jackson Prize for Poetry and a National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim fellow. She was the Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University for 15 years and chaired the African American Studies Department.