Description:
An excerpt from Whitman's bestselling book, Tamsen Donner: A Woman's Journey, entitled "If My Boundary Stops Here," is engraved on a granite monument across from the entrance to Back Bay Station. Grouped together with Barnes' "Counterpoint, it is located along busy Dartmouth Ave. not far from Copley Square, near a Neiman Marcus and the commuter rail. Unlike some of the Orange Line monuments, the monuments at Back Bay Station seem to be in great condition and easily readable.
About the Author:
Ruth Whitman (1922-1999) was an award-winning Jewish-American poet, educator and translator whose work includes Tamsen Donner: A Woman's Journey (1977). She received her B.A. in Greek and English from Radcliff College, graduating magna cum laude in 1944, before earning a M.A. in Classics from Harvard University in 1947. In addition to writing volumns of poety, Whitman was also a lecuturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Radcliff College and Harvard University, among others. Throughout her life, Whitman recieved many prestigious awards including a Fulbright Writer-in-Residence at Hebrew University, Jerusalem (1984-1985).
Response:
Tamsen Donner: A Woman's Journey is the story of the Donners' journey from Illinois to California in a wagon train during 1846. Jeff Donner, in a 2007 Sacramento News and Reivew article on Whitman's book describes how her work explores themes of love and hope, but also of tragedy. In my opinion, these themes of hope and tragedy seem fitting considering the atmosphere throughout the Southwest Corridor during the time of failed urban renewal.
By Elise Devoe
source:
Hudson, Jeff. "Donner for dancers." Sacramento News and Review. October
25, 2007. March 2008.
