"Charlotte Brontë’s Corset is not just about the Brontës, or even the museum. In this creative setting, Katrina Naomi has been able to map out her own creative force." – Tara Hanks
Katrina Naomi’s latest pamphlet Charlotte Brontë’s Corset follows her writer’s residency at the Brontë Parsonage Museum (from 2009-10) and is published by the Brontë Society.
Anne’s Last Letter
(dated 5 April 1849 to Miss [Ellen] Nussey)
Such clear handwriting, as though etched
with a fine Berol in brown ink. To save paper
she wrote across the page, turned it 90 degrees.
I hold Anne’s letter (last valued at £180,000)
in its folder of thick plastic. I daren’t touch
the original for fear I’d start to cough, my lungs
in revolt. I have no horror of death she writes,
God’s will be done. I have no religion and want
to live. Though Anne is my favourite, I won’t bring
her letter to my face, lick this pricey envelope.
on Brontë Blog, Barcelona:Charlotte Bronte’s Corset is sensitive, sometimes provocative, its non-reverential tone wry and refreshing. Katrina’s almost ‘forensic’ examination of the Bronte relics explores them through new eyes, challenging our over-familiarity with the Bronte myths. Yet she is also drawn to the present life of the Parsonage, and her poems vividly re-imagine life behind the scenes of a museum dedicated to literary genius.
Barbara Trapido, Novelist wrote:This subtle, evocative collection bears endless readings.
These poems are so good.
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