In his pursuit of freedom, Oliver Sacks fled England for America, catalyzed by both his burgeoning identity as a queer man and his frustrations with the rigid structure of academia. His journey to San Francisco sparked the beginning of a prolific writing career.
Sacks revealed a yearning for space and liberation, stating that California represented 'the wide open west of Ansel Adams photographs' and the possibilities that went beyond the constraints of his past.
Meeting Thom Gunn marked a vital turning point for Sacks, as Gunn's poetry assisted in decoding Sacks' 'babble of emotional life,' highlighting the transformative power of art in his personal challenges.
Gunn's observations on Sacks were candid and profound, reflecting the complexity of Sacks' identity, noting him as a 'colossally big London Jew' who sought to embrace his life and career in a new world.
Collection
[
|
...
]