I heard from my cousin, who read the essay I published last week about my grandmother, my great-grandfather, my father, and me. He is denying that there is anything to what I am saying at all about my grandmother, father, and the family in general, calling it "fiction."
I suppose I should not be surprised. My family is so closed mouthed about nearly everything! I guess my grandmother instilled it in them. They are in denial about most problems, whether they are political or personal, but the problems don't go away. They tend to get worse and fester.
This is a difficulty that every autobiographical writer probably has to face: dealing with the feelings and views of the people one writes about. They have their right to their own perspectives, but not to deny mine.
5 comments:
Yes, it is the doom of the autobiographical writer to come into conflict in all sorts of curious ways with relations and friends. Eep!
I should have known this would happen eventually. Perhaps that's one reason I've stayed so silent for so long.
Just don't let it become a stumbling block between you...
Autobiographical poetry can cause problems, too. My mother refused to speak to me for a month because of info about my family I revealed in a poem I published in college.
I barely ever see him. He lives up near you (actually a guess quite a bit south of you) in Muncie NY, I think.
It's an interesting topic for an essay. One can't censor herself because of people's denial, or because they see it a completely different way. Let them write their own essays or poems.
However, I certainly don't set out to hurt anyone's feelings. Far from it!
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