Poetry
Diving into the Wreck
Adrienne Rich · 1973
Synopsis
A woman diver first reads the book of myths, loads her camera, checks the blade of her knife, then puts on her gear and descends alone, without the Cousteau team, by the ladder, down to the wreck. She has come to see the damage and the treasures that remain, the wreck and not the story of the wreck. The other poems speak of a man and a woman who can no longer manage to talk to each other in a desert where bombs are tested, of anger at the Vietnam War, and of a rape.
Context
A finalist for the 1974 National Book Award with three other women poets, she had agreed with Audre Lorde and Alice Walker that the winner would accept on behalf of all. The jury shared the prize between her and Allen Ginsberg; she went on stage with Lorde and Walker to read a joint statement, accepting the prize on behalf of women whose voice has not been and is still not heard in a patriarchal world. The collection was translated in full into French in 2024, in Quebec.
Who it is for
A short collection in direct language. The title poem can be read alone and sets the tone for the rest. Translated into French by Chantal Ringuet, in a bilingual edition.
Prizes and reception
National Book Award 1974, shared with another winner; the book is regarded as its author's major work.
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