| Double Persephone | |
|---|---|
Cover of a copy of Double Persephone |
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| Author(s) | Margaret Atwood |
| Cover artist | Margaret Atwood |
| Country | Canadian |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Poetry |
| Publication date | 1961 |
| ISBN | NA |
Double Persephone is a self-published poetry collection written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood in 1961. [1]Atwood handset the book herself with a flat bed press, designed the cover with linoblocks, and only made 220 copies.[2] It was the first publication ever released by Atwood, and comprises seven poems: "Formal Garden", "Pastoral", "Iconic Landscape", "Persephone Departing", "Chthonic Love", "Her Song", "and "Double Persephone".
The opening poem of Double Persephone, "Formal Garden," a "girl with the gorgon touch" walks through the title location searching for "a living wrist and arm", but all she finds is a "a line of statues" with "marble flesh. [3] The girl apparently has traits similar to Medusa, who could turn men to stone by glancing upon them. [3]
Atwood followed up the collection with another book of poetry released in 1964, The Circle Game. [2]