Book Summary
“Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass” is Lana Del Rey’s first venture into the world of poetry, and it carries all the ethereal beauty, romantic melancholy, and vintage Americana aesthetic of her music. The book is a collection of more than 30 poems written by Lana over the course of her career, presented alongside photographs taken by her sister, visual artist Chuck Grant. The book explores themes of love, loss, longing, self-exploration, and the transient nature of life, set against the backdrop of Southern California’s lush landscapes and the empty expanses of middle America. Del Rey’s language is evocative and laced with nostalgia, recalling past lovers, lost innocence, and quiet moments of introspection with a sense of poignant beauty. The collection opens with the title poem “Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass”, a meditation on nature and the solace it can provide amidst personal turmoil. Other standout poems include “LA Who Am I to Love You”, a love letter to the city that’s both a home and a source of alienation, and “Happy”, a heartbreaking exploration of a failed relationship. Overall, “Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass” offers a deeper insight into Del Rey’s mind and heart, demonstrating her poetic sensibility and establishing her as a gifted poet in her own right.
Author Intro
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey, born as Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, is a renowned American singer-songwriter. She’s best known for her ethereal, cinematic pop music that often explores themes of romance, melancholy, and the darker side of glamour. With her debut album “Born to Die”, Del Rey firmly established her unique musical style and found a wide audience. “Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass” marks her debut as a published poet, adding another facet to her multilayered artistic persona.
Book Reviews
“Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass” serves as a beautiful extension of Lana Del Rey’s artistic voice, transposing her dreamy and melancholic musical style onto the written page. Each poem is imbued with a haunting sense of longing and nostalgia, while also containing moments of quiet hope and resilience. Del Rey’s language is evocative and rich, painting vivid pictures of sun-drenched Californian landscapes, and conveying complex emotions with graceful simplicity. This collection serves as an intimate peek into her inner world and is sure to resonate with both fans of her music and lovers of poetry alike.
In “Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass”, Lana Del Rey successfully translates the cinematic, brooding mood of her songs into lyrical poetry. The collection demonstrates her capacity for introspection, with her verse dissecting personal relationships and experiences, while also exploring wider themes of fame, identity, and the American Dream. Del Rey’s style is descriptive and emotionally charged, creating a sense of immediacy that draws the reader into her world. Although her poetic style might be seen as straightforward compared to more ‘traditional’ poets, its authenticity and vulnerability make it a compelling read.
Lana Del Rey’s “Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass” is an intriguing collection of poems that mirror the thematic landscape of her music. The book’s strengths lie in its evocative language and in Del Rey’s exploration of personal and universal themes. However, at times the collection can feel slightly disjointed, with some poems standing out more than others in terms of emotional depth and impact. While Del Rey’s signature style of nostalgic melancholy is appealing, some might find the book to be somewhat one-note, lacking variation in tone and style.
While “Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass” does demonstrate Del Rey’s potential as a poet, the collection ultimately comes across as a companion piece to her music rather than a standalone work of literature. The poems echo the themes and tone of her songs, but often lack the melodic quality that gives her music its power. Moreover, while Del Rey’s nostalgic, melancholic style is compelling in doses, over the course of an entire collection it risks becoming repetitive. This debut shows promise, but it would benefit from greater variation in tone, style, and subject matter.
